Out of the Darkness
by The Unforgiven Wolf
Summary: Saren on the loose, the Markers have risen... and the beginning of the end is nigh. In a desperate attempt to keep his pack alive, Humphrey must try to find the Pack of the Winter Mountains to help fight a war for the survival of all life on the planet. No matter how hard they try, though, not everyone will make it out alive. This is the final book of the Trilogy.
1. The Last Dire Wolf

1\. The Last Dire Wolf

**ACT I: The Markers**

The world used to bright, thriving place. Life peacefully resumed throughout the planet day by individual day. It seemed that prosperity was achieved by all species'…until the humans came. The supposed superior species of the planet, a sentient a life from capable of creating objects, machines, and weapons of mass destruction from the earth was what the hated species was known for. For years, humans waged countless wars, most of them futile battles that could have been easily avoided, but the humans' bloodlust negated that possibility. They destroyed the habitats of animals, even causing them to go extinct.

In the year 2023, two wolves, an Alpha she-wolf named Kate, and an Omega wolf named Humphrey, had been thrust into a world of the humans' war. Humphrey had mated with Kate after the unification of the Eastern and Western wolf packs of Canada's Jasper Park. Several moons after they unification, Humphrey began to be plagued with haunting visions of death and destruction, told in no uncertain terms that he was to find a place called the Dark Heart. He dismissed the nightmares as random phenomena, a side-effect of bad food, refusing to heed the warnings of the Dark Wolf that plagued his dreams.

Shortly after Kate became pregnant, a Mad Wolf had been found in the Jasper territory feeding upon the dying body of a lone wolf traveling through the territory. Humphrey and one of the Alpha wolves, Candu, came across the diseased abomination and warned the pack. After weeks of no sightings, life resumed its normal stature. The Dark Wolf, however, was persistent; he knew that if Humphrey did not travel to the Dark Heart, then every wolf in the pack would die. He devised a plan to use the Mad Wolf in a regrettable way: he sent it to attack Humphrey. In the attack, Humphrey's friend, Shakey, was killed in trying to protect his friend. Humphrey killed the Mad Wolf and held his friend as his life slipped away from his body.

Humphrey, now convinced, snuck out of the territory to find the Dark Heart. Humphrey, as he was leaving, ran into his father in law, Winston, who told him that the Dark Heart was the name of the heart of Jasper, a place of shadow and evil, but no one truly knew why it was so. When Humphrey crossed the River Border and into the old Eastern Pack Territory, he met a black-furred lone wolf that called himself Scourge. Scourge was formerly a wolf named Nicholas, but after the destruction of his pack at the paws of the humans, he had lived as a lone wolf called Scourge. He knew what was in the Dark Heart, and he knew how to get Humphrey there. When they took refuge in the old Eastern Pack Den, they came into contact with monstrous, human-made creatures called Longfangs. They were large, hideous, furless creatures with snake-like tails, muscular yet lithe bodies, pale skin, and a gaping maw of massive fangs. They had no eyes, only two large slits and large ears to find its prey. They had brought another of Humphrey's friends, Mooch, to the den and tore him to pieces. Humphrey soon discovered that Tony, the former Eastern Leader Wolf had been sacrificing wolves of his pack to feed the Longfangs, even his mate and Garth's siblings. As they traveled, the humans attacked Jasper Park, annihilating the caribou herds in the valley to set up a military instillation for their war to ensue. Marcel, Paddy, and Paddy's former lover, a crazed pintail duck named Iris, led them away from the Pack Den to the highlands deeper Jasper.

Humphrey and Scourge found the Dark Heart and were horrified to see that the remnants of the humans that made up the crippled United States Military had set up camp in the Dark Heart to wage a war against the lands of China, Russia, and several more enemy lands. In their escape, Paddy was tragically killed by a human weapon, Iris staying behind with Paddy as they made their harried escape to the highlands. Kate, in anger for Humphrey leaving her, lashed out at him and tore her claws into his face, leaving three jagged scars underneath his right eye.

When he and Scourge had tried to explain what they saw in the Dark Heart, Tony convinced them that they were insane and that they could retake the Pack Den with ease. Humphrey told them they had to leave; he was guided by the spirit of the Dark Wolf he'd seen in his nightmare, his Spirit Guide named Sam. He encouraged them to leave and seek out the legendary Pack of the Winter Mountains, noble descendants of the Dire Wolves that lived in the mythical Winter Mountains. The pack had laughed in his face for believing in the ancient pup's tale and they traveled back to the valley.

The humans had set up their base in the valley, littering the pile of caribou and hunting patrol wolves in a large pile at the bottom of the valley. When Tony had sent wolves down to retrieve the caribou and scavenge their remains, wolves began to die from a result of a human poison that they'd put in the corpses. Tony challenged his son, Garth, to a dominance battle for control of the pack. He had raped and beat Lily, but her barren nature meant that she would not become pregnant. Tony began to fight Garth, but Garth began to lose miserably, Tony ready to kill him. Humphrey, however, had joined the fray as well and took Tony's life, helping his brother in law to his paws to resume control of the pack.

That night, Kate, Winston, Eve, Humphrey, Garth, and Lily had gone to the valley to observe the humans. In a rash, bloodthirsty decision, Eve attacked one of the humans, tearing him apart as starvation tore at the vestiges of her sanity. Eve was killed and decapitated, and a funeral was held the next dawn. Kate gave Humphrey a bracelet that she had created for him to remember her by. It was made with twigs and reeds, three violet petals from her favorite flower encased in sap and embedded in the bracelet, safe from the harmful ravages of time. Then, in a fateful attack, the war began, and the humans' new weapon obliterated the earth, forcing them away. There were over one hundred and sixteen wolves in the pack; only fifteen had survived. After being separated from the rest, Humphrey and Kate tried to find another way around, but Kate's water had broken. He discovered that a metal shard had become lodged in her she-wolfhood, forcing him to cut her belly open to save the pups. Only one of them had survived, a small grey she-pup named Kala. Humphrey, through the pain and hurt, took Kate's life to spare her of a slow, painful death. That night, the survivors left, Humphrey assuming the role as Leader Wolf as he led them to the Pack of the Winter Mountains, leaving Jasper Park behind forever.

Over two moons later, Humphrey's daughter, Kala, was being cared for by her aunt and uncle Garth and Lily. Despite the torture of her cousin, Firetail, Kala was loved in the pack, but Humphrey isolated himself from her, keeping his identity secret. They traveled to the mountains and one night, Kala was attacked by Sam in her dreams as to gain Humphrey's attention. Sam told Humphrey that he had to tell Kala that he was her father, and he knew that it was time for her to hear the truth, but he was terrified that she'd hate him for neglecting her for the vast majority of her life.

When he came back, he was met with a lone she-wolf named Kacey who was also a lone survivor of a human-destroyed pack, requesting to come with them. Humphrey hesitantly and warily allowed her to do so, and he revealed to Kala who he was. She hated and loved him at the same time for doing this to her, but she was ecstatic to have her father back in her life. Through the course of their journey north, Humphrey and Kacey became close and eventually, with the blessing of Kate, became mates. Marcel had found the Jasper wolves and, to their surprise, had Iris with them. After hearing a gunshot in their escape, they assumed that Iris had died, when in truth, she had only lost her left eye. After a year and several moons of long, grueling travel, they were attacked by a strange pack of wolves called the Jagged Ice Pack. They were religious fanatics that worshipped the wolf gods Fenrir and Fenrisúlfur, but they were wrong in their beliefs, for Fenrir was the cursed God of War and Fenrisúlfur was his mate, the Goddess of Guidance.

Kala eventually began to fall in love with one of the wolves from the Jagged Ice pack, a blue-grey furred wolf named Faolan, someone that Humphrey did not trust. Humphrey impregnated Kacey and shortly after, Kala decided that she wanted to go through the ancient Trials to become what the Jagged Ice pack referred to as becoming a 'Full Wolf.'

She requested this of the Jagged Ice Leader Wolf, Saren, to take part in the Trials. As she completed each individual Trial, Kacey gave birth to three pups: Ryker, Luna, and Kate. In the final Trial, Kala was forced to fight another wolf to the death, for only one wolf was ever allowed to pass the Trials. That wolf was her own cousin, Firetail. In desperation and near-loss of her life, Kala struck down Firetail, tearing his life away in front of his horrified and distraught parents, Lily and Garth. The she-wolves of the Jagged Ice pack were whores, meant for breeding as many pups as possible to take part in the Trials and make their pack strong. Even Faolan had admitted to his killing other wolves at the end of the Trials. That night, a stone structure from the Jagged Ice Mountain rose to the sky.

Within was an alien monstrosity that infected the living and turned them into twisted life after death mutations called necromorphs. Saren had abused Humphrey's sister Narami and she became the first of the necromorphs. The stone structure known as the Marker rose into the sky and released a dark wave over the planet. The first was a tactical pulse, only meant to infect creatures in the near vicinity of the Marker with the necromorphs virus. The second, however, was meant to awake the other three Markers in the world and ready them for activation to raise the horrible Black Marker from the depths of the ocean. If that were to happen, then the planet would be doomed to the necromorphs.

Humphrey, the prophesied Great Wolf that would destroy the Markers discovered his involvement in two legends: the Great Wolf, and the Legend of the Grey, a wolf that would bring peace and prosperity to the world. He and Kala rushed to stop Saren and destroy the Marker, but Kala was impaled by an icicle thrown by Saren. At the end of the night, the Marker was destroyed as well as all of the Jagged Ice wolves save for Faolan, who, like the Jasper wolves, had survived. Kala was revived by the will of Lupus and Lupa, and Humphrey, in a vision, was told by his mate that she'd be in a type of dormant state, for the wolf gods Lupus and Lupa had granted her a second chance at life in the form of Humphrey and Kacey's pup that bore her namesake yet still possess a separate spirit. They left the lands of the mountains, knowing that Saren was still on the loose and gathering a dark army of wolves that would do anything to raise the Markers. It was time to find the Pack of the Winter Mountains, to end the darkness once and for all.

My name is Kala; my name means Wolf of the Stars. I am the daughter of the Jasper survivor Leader Wolf Humphrey.

I have failed to help my father keep the pack safe. Now, we hang precariously from vines snared around us, staring down into a dark pit that would surely be our deaths. My father was struggling next to me, trying to free himself of the vines and reach the ledge nearby that would allow us salvation from our doom, but there was nothing that he could do, nothing that anyone could do. I stared down blankly as he desperately tried to reach the ledge. The Black Blood wolves howled with laughter as they watched his feeble attempts, taunting us as we hung. The darkness below would swallow us whole whenever the Black Bloods chose to cut the vines, sending us plummeting to the ground untold miles down in the depths of the pit.

"Dad," I murmured, defeated. Immediately, he looked back to me. It took all of my willpower to resist the urge to cringe at his heavily scarred body. The right side of his face was caked in dried blood, his right ear torn, blood running down his face.

"Kala," he said, beginning to swing. "If we can swing back and forth, we can reach that ledge over there and find the others. This isn't over yet, Kala, we still-"

"Don't you get it?" I snarled at him. His eyes widened in shock from the force of my words, but I was beyond care at this moment. A year of endless, bloody war, betrayal, death, and chaos and it tends to cripple your soul and morale. "It is over; we failed, Dad. Saren won." I said the last bit with bitter hollowness in my voice. He averted his gaze but did not give up. Humphrey had always had a stubborn knack of refusing to give up; he probably got that from his first mate. As we hung so precariously, certain death greeting us with cold claws, my thoughts drifted back to the events of the past year…back to the winter after we left the Jagged Ice Mountains…

Three Hundred and Seventy-Eight Days Prior

"Kala!" Kate complained. "I'm hungry!" Kala rolled her eyes, ignoring the she-pup as they walked through the rolling hills. The long grass swayed as the wind gently carried it. It had been two days since the Jasper wolves had escaped the mountains, the autumn moons already in their peak, steadily nearing the frigid cold of winter.

"Me too!" Luna cried, nosing Kala's leg. "I'm hungry too!" Kala grinded her fangs together; the pups' complaining had become incessantly more annoying as they went on, and some reason compelled them to complain to Kala about it. What was the point of trying to talk to Kala when they were hungry? They were pups, of course; they wouldn't know that Kala was not yet old enough to supply milk for them. Kacey had already given her supply of it to the pups and Lily was barren, unable to do so anymore, for after she had fed Kala the small supply that she had, it had completely disappeared; naturally, the pups sought out the only other she-wolf in the pack, assuming that Kala would be able to feed them. Faolan constantly teased her about it, but she brushed away his teasing and tried her best to ignore the pups.

It wasn't long before she came to the realization that ignoring them wasn't, perhaps, the best idea she'd ever had. If anything, it only made them more annoying than before. Ryker, however, was the pups' secret weapon. Naturally quiet and spending most of his time with Scourge, a similarly quiet and solitary wolf in the pack, he was able to beg the best. He didn't need to say a word to get what he wanted; all he had to do was look up at a wolf with his large, puppyish eyes to convince them. Of course, Kala could not offer them milk, but whenever she was sharing prey with Kacey, Humphrey, Faolan, or any other wolf in the pack, the pups would come to her to beg for more food. Kala-being the generous she-wolf that she was-would always cave and give them meat, leaving her belly growling at her throughout the night.

This invited Faolan to embarrass her by nuzzling her belly sweetly and coo to it as though there were pups inside of her. On one occasion, however, Humphrey overheard them and thought that they actually had mated and impregnated his daughter, resulting in him almost killing the former Jagged Ice wolf until Kala was able to make him calm down and see that Faolan was only joking. She had, however, begun to sleep with Faolan rather than beside Humphrey, Kacey, and the pups. This was-of course-to Humphrey's utter dismay and disapproval, but Winston was actually the one that was able to make him see that she was a grown she-wolf and therefore had the right to be with him if she so chose. Kala was both surprised and grateful for Winston's intervention in the matter, but he'd always been a kindly, helpful grandfather to her since the time that she could talk. 'If only he could help get these pups out of my fur,' she thought hotly.

She had tried to get Marcel and Iris to do so, and they were delighted to have the chance to play with the pups. Delighted, of course, for the first few seconds before they actually played with them. 'Playing' was such a light term when it came to the pups, especially in this stage of their lives when they were still teething. On too many occasions, the pups would get a bit carried away and forget that the birds were not food. Marcel started speaking in infuriated French when he felt Kala's jaws close in around his leg. Even her small teeth, harmless as they were, could still manage to hurt him.

They decided to keep their distance since that incident, leaving Kala to deal with them. With the beaming sunlight and sources of food and water often placed at great lengths from one another, Kala's ability to remain sane and even try to provide for the pups the things they wanted was seldom existent. Kala finally stopped when Ryker sat in front of her and looked up at her with his large, dark blue eyes. He flattened his ears and made himself appear to be far smaller than he really was. Kala was overtaken by the urge to comfort him and provide for the pup despite her inability to truly do so. She gulped and took a shaky breath. He flattened his body to the ground and whimpered, staring up at her. Kala sighed and looked down at herself. It wasn't as though she had ever been pregnant or ever had any aspiration to become pregnant, much less care for pups, but she had to do something for her siblings. She told them to stay put and padded up to Humphrey. His bright, lively blue eyes met her amber eyes.

"The pups need some food," she explained to him. "I'm going to stay behind with them and try to catch them something." He nodded in understanding.

"Don't be long," he told her, nuzzling her cheek. "We'll slow down a bit and wait for you a few miles up." She nodded and thanked him, turning tail to return to the pups. She had lied to her father, however; she wasn't lying about feeding them, but she knew full well there was no prey in these hills, not for a few miles at least. Once they were out of sight, Kala laid her body on the ground and exposed her belly to the pups. She had no idea what she was doing; she was probably too young to do it, but the pups were starving, and she felt obligated to at least do something.

The pups approached her cautiously, as though now hesitant to ask their elder sister for milk. Then again, Kala had been given milk by her aunt when her mother couldn't provide for them. They slunk forward on their bellies and approached Kala, and, within moments, she felt an odd twinge as they began to suckle. Evidently, it seemed, she did have some small reserves of milk to give to the pups. She told them to keep it a secret between the four of them and they all immediately agreed. It was mere minutes before she was unable to give them anymore and they began to rambunctiously run about.

Kala rose to her paws and felt drained of energy; she was exhausted and felt as though she wouldn't be able to walk for days. She heard a rustling from the grass and looked to her left to see the blue-grey furred wolf approach her, a warm smile on his face. He had seen everything. Kala flattened her ears to her head in embarrassment, but it did not faze Faolan. He padded up to her and licked her ear, nuzzling her cheek affectionately. She smiled and couldn't resist wagging her tail slightly from his presence.

"That was nice what you did for them," he told her as they began to walk in the direction of the pack, watching as the pups played a friendly game of tag on the way there.

"What were you doing away from the rest?" She asked suspiciously, a smile creeping to her lips. "Are you spying on me now?"

"Well, it depends on your perception of 'spying,'" he replied, smiling at her wryly. "Would you rather me watch you or someone else?" She laughed and leaned against him. He smiled broadly as their tails slightly intertwined. They walked silently together for a long time until they heard the summoning howl of Humphrey from across the hills. Kala was disappointed to be forced away from the moment with Faolan, but the two complied to his call and began to run in his direction, gathering the pups with them. They heard the howl again, this time more desperate. This began to worry Kala; what was wrong with her father?

When they reached the river that the pack was staying at, she was immediately drawn to the sight of the massive creature facing the pack. At first, she was afraid that it was a Longfang, one of the hideous abominations of creatures that she had been nearly killed by on too many occasions. Upon closer examination though, she realized that it was, in fact, a wolf. He was furless, heavily scarred, and had bulging white eyes that symbolized his blindness. Kala grinned ruefully at the sight of Fenrir, the wolf God of War.

The pups were intimidated by him, as was the majority of the pack, but Kala, Faolan, Marcel, and Iris knew better, for they had all been in contact with Fenrir when Kala had undertaken the Trials of the Jagged Ice pack to become a Full Wolf. Ignoring her father's disturbed greeting, Kala ran up and pressed herself against the flesh chest of Fenrir in happiness to see her friend (though she was unsure if Fenrir saw her in the same light).

"I see that you are still alive, Star Wolf," Fenrir rumbled. She stood back from him shyly and nodded with a smile. He turned himself slightly to show his left rear leg-or what was left of it. It was now cut in half, nothing more than a pale stump. Kala's eyes widened at the sight and remembered why he had received the scars: for helping others in need. "I was hoping so; otherwise my loss of my leg to bring you back from the dead would have been in piteous vain."

"Oh, Fenrir!" Kala wailed. "You sacrificed so much already for me to survive. I can't thank you enough." He nodded gruffly as she walked back to join the others. Kala gave Humphrey and the rest of the wolves a brief introduction to Fenrir, the Jasper wolves warily accepting his true identity, though none of them went into detail just how they had managed to mistake Fenrir as the god of all wolves. Whatever the case, it no longer mattered. Fenrir walked to the water's edge-or rather limped-and closed his eyes in prayer.

They stared silently at him until suddenly, he leapt into the water and disappeared beneath the blue-green surface. The river glowed with an eerie aqua radiance and light fell from the sky. Bubbles rose from the depths where Fenrir had dove in. Then, he rose from the water as a new wolf. His leg and regenerated as though he'd never lost it at all. His scars had healed, and his flesh was covered with a thick, luxurious pelt of night black fur. All physical deformations had vanished, though his eyes were closed. When he opened them, they were greeted with bright jade-green eyes. He shook the water from his fur, and then he threw his head back in a long howl. The last dire wolf had returned to the world. Kala could not help but grin at him, Faolan smiling as well as he joined her side.

He ended the howl with a dark snarl and growled, newfound energy flowing through his veins. Although his voice was barely above a whisper, Faolan and Kala could hear a quiet thanks from the god of war: "Thank you, my love." Now, it made sense: Fenrisúlfur had healed him for the journey ahead.

"I assume that this is the Great Wolf, the Grey of legend?" He rumbled, looking at Humphrey. He walked forward, nodding.

"I am," he replied confidently. Fenrir studied him, scrutinizing him as he watched the wolves around him.

"It is an honor, Young Grey," Fenrir said, dipping his head. "Sauromak has told me much of his Life Apprentice."

"You mean Sam?" Humphrey asked him. Fenrir nodded.

"His mind seems to have been addled after ten millennia of guiding others; he doesn't seem to recall his True Name anymore," Humphrey nodded in memory of Sam telling him that in the past. "I have called upon my brothers across the Great Waters to destroy the Green Marker in the highest of the world's peaks. They had reported back successfully."

"I thought that the other Markers were Reds?" Humphrey asked, confused. Fenrir shook his head.

"No, there can only be one type of Marker: The Red, the Green, the Grey, the Blue, and the Black Marker. Two have been destroyed, now we must find the grey and blue and eradicate them before Saren finds them." Humphrey seethed at the mere mention of Saren's hated name. After what he'd done to Narami, Sweets, Firetail, and the entire Jagged Ice Pack, Humphrey wanted nothing more than to see the life bleed from his neck to the ground.

"Do you know where we can find him?" Humphrey asked Fenrir.

"No, I do not," Fenrir sighed. "But I know that he has gathered an army already. An army that is hell-bent on activating the Markers and bringing what the call 'the holy light of the Black Marker back to the earth.'"

"How did he make an army this fast?" Humphrey gasped.

"He was not as secluded from the world outside of the Jagged Ice Mountains as you were led to believe, Young Grey," Fenrir rumbled. "A storm is coming, Young Grey; I will gather the packs that will help us, though they will be few. Meet me at the Western Mountains at the time of the Winter Solstice, and we shall discuss our plans for Saren's downfall. We are at war now, whether you like it or not. There is a chance that not all of your pack mates will survive."

"No," Humphrey protested. "We have to find the Pack of the Winter Mountains first and get their assistance, then I'm keeping my pack there to be safe."

"Dad, you can't just leave us out of the fight!" Kala exclaimed.

"You'll do as I say, Kala," Humphrey growled.

"Humphrey," Kacey said, padding up to her mate. Humphrey's eyes softened when he saw his mate, but still bore much of the protective defiance for his daughter. "She has a point; we will leave those that cannot fight there, but I won't let you go to war without me by your side."

"Whatever the case," Fenrir interrupted. "You must meet us for the Winter Solstice. If you find the Winter Mountains before then, then by all means you may keep your pack there and join us alone, but I can wait no longer after that. I bid you farewell, Young Grey. May my mate and her spirits watch over you." With that, Fenrir dashed across the river, running at breakneck speeds naturally given to all dire wolves. This was not the time to be bickering amongst themselves; now, it was time to go to war…or die.

 ****A/N: There you have it, chapter one of Out of the Darkness! Sorry, I was going to update and put this up Friday, but I was just too excited to put this up! I'm really excited to share this story with all of you because it'll be going back to the roots of this series and be much like Into the Darkness, though with a more personal war-theme to it, something I hope you'll all enjoy reading as much as I enjoy writing! You will also see two new OCs from another writer on this archive, Crowwolf, appear within the next few chapters! In terms of length, the chapters will most likely be longer in terms of words, but for chapters, the story will probably be shorter than Wolves of the Darkness and closer to Into the Darkness. Anyway, thanks for reading Chapter One! Until next time!****

 ****-The Dishonored Wolf****


	2. The Black Bloods

2\. The Black Bloods

"You have to be prepared, Young Grey," Sam hissed. Humphrey glared at him in the dark forest, watching as his demonic Spirit Guide stalked about the trees threateningly. It had been mere hours since they'd encountered Fenrir, and now Humphrey was plagued once more by the Spirit Guide. "Or all will die."

"You know," Humphrey growled. "You aren't very good at your job."

"I get the point through, do I not?" Humphrey rolled his eyes, refusing to admit that he-in fact-did get the point across to him what needed to be done and when it needed to be done. He'd lost his best friends and his mate for not heeding Sam's warnings sooner. If he'd figured them out a mere week earlier, no one would have died. This was the sole reason that Humphrey trusted Sam when he gave him the dark warnings of the future: he always knew that they were true.

Sam padded into the forest, Humphrey following the Dark Wolf closely. The shadows cast by the trees made the darkness deeper, more claustrophobic. He could see shapes moving through the trees-more wolves, perhaps, or the Longfangs, D'Tyoni, or Night Watchers of the southern mountains. Humphrey showed no fear as he walked forward; he'd already seen enough horrors to squander the emotion of fear completely. Sam did not even seem to take notice of the creatures following them.

Humphrey looked up to see that the sky was pure black: no stars, no moon, only black. How could any shadows be cast without a light source above? It didn't make any sense to him, but then again, many things in the past two years didn't make sense. Sam disappeared in the trees, leaving Humphrey alone in a large, circular clearing. He exhaled, his breath visible on the cool air, ice crystals searing his lungs with a singeing pain. He whipped about, expecting the creatures to appear and attack him at any given moment. Instead, he saw that the clearing had stretched into a massive plain; the bodies of thousands of wolves lay bloodied and mutilated across the ground, torn to pieces by claw and fang.

The tangy reek of blood stung his nostrils, Humphrey seething in disgust from the horrid scent. He walked about and noticed that there were many black-furred wolves lying on the ground, all of them bearing a dark red scar running vertically down each of their eyes. Gore lay strewn about, adding to the revolting nature of what was clearly an untamed, insanity driven war. He came across a white-furred she-wolf; she was torn from her breast to her rear, her ribs parted and jutting outward to expose the interior infrastructure of the body. It took no time at all to see that the blood-stained, gore-strewn she-wolf was Lily. He padded over to her and looked at her in sadness and despair. Her violet eyes were lusterless in death, greying and open permanently. He tried to close her eyes but found that it was impossible: someone had tripped out her eyelids. Humphrey placed a paw on her forehead and allowed tears to run down his face as he looked down at his sister in law. Suddenly, he saw her eyes move, darting to look at him. Her jaws parted, and a blood-gurgling moan escaped her lips.

Humphrey sprang back in shock and terror from the hideous sight, looking down at her in insatiable horror. Her body twitched and squirmed about, her internal organs bursting, sending multicolored inner liquids and blood spraying into the air. Her body arched, and her eyes rolled in the back of her head, blood flying from the sockets around them. Humphrey shakily backed away, horrified and disgusted by the atrocious sight he beheld.

"YOU MADE ME DIE!" She screeched, blood shooting from her mouth in a crimson torrent as she screamed it. Humphrey's eyes widened, and his heart stopped when he heard those all-too-familiar words spoken from Lily. He sprinted away from her, along the way seeing more wolves he recognized. Garth was dragging himself towards Humphrey, the lower half of his body severed, intestines and organs dragging out behind him, blood gushing from his mouth as he repeated the haunting words.

Scourge's head was smashed, torn in half and revealing a shattered skull, brain matter beginning to protrude from the cracks and breaks in the bone. Salty was missing his head entirely, his body blundering about aimlessly as his decapitated head screamed the haunting words from several wolf-away. Humphrey howled in agony and terror, the voices breaching into the recesses of his mind with a blisteringly furious pain. Finally, it all stopped as he heard the sweet voice of Kacey coo his name. He wiped away the tears from his eyes, clearing his vision as he looked forward.

The beautiful brown-furred she-wolf walked steadily towards him, her dark pink eyes glistening. She seemed to pay no heed to the bodies that surrounded them, her attention utterly focused on Humphrey. She flashed him a small, weak smile as she neared her mate and Leader Wolf. When she was close, he sprinted towards her and embraced her tightly, closing his eyes as tears ran down his face and into her fur. When he finally opened them, he raised his paws from her back to see that her fur was shedding rapidly, falling off her grey skin. He pulled away to see that her eyes were now filled with desperation and fear. Blood spilled from her mouth and behind her eyes as she began to cry.

"No," Humphrey whimpered, collapsing in pain. "No, no, no!"

"Why did you make me die?" She gurgled, blood spilling to the ground in a torrent.

"NO!"

"You must train yourself to lose what you love most," Sam said. Humphrey's head jerked up to see that he was once more in the dark forest, Sam glaring down at him with his crimson eyes. Humphrey began to sob uncontrollably as Sam watched him. The last time he'd seen someone say those haunting words, he'd lost Kate. Was he going to lose his pack, his new love, Luna, Ryker, Kate, and even Kala? Was he going to lose everything that he'd known all over again? No, he couldn't allow that to happen, not a second time! The pack was already annihilated once by the humans; could they not simply have peace?

"I can't let them go," Humphrey cried. "It tore me apart to let Kate go; how could I let the rest of them? I have three daughters, a son, a mate, a father, sister, brother, and two best friends. How could I ever let them go? How Sam?"

"I cannot dictate how you control yourself, Young Grey," Sam growled. "I can only offer guidance to you."

"How can I save them?" Humphrey asked abruptly. "How can I save my pack? I can't let them die, I can't!" Sam walked away without replying. Humphrey stood up and chased after him. "SAUROMAK!" He screamed. Sam stopped and whirled around, a snarl on his face.

"That name," he growled, "Means nothing to me anymore."

"I'll keep using that name unless you tell me how to save them!" Humphrey pleaded. "Please, help me!" Sam looked at him with a cold yet considering glare and turned around.

"Find the Pack of the Winter Mountains," he said flatly. "They're the only hope your pack has of survival."

Humphrey awoke with a jolt. He pulled away from the ground and looked down to see his mate curled up beside him, their pups sleeping beside her belly to keep warm. Winston was sitting on a rise nearby, keeping watch as he had been instructed. Scourge was resting several meters away, Garth and Lily sleeping close together on the fringes of the group. Salty was on another rise, further away from the wolves, nearly segregated. Faolan was curled up on the grass, Kala beside him. His daughter, however, was awake, standing up and staring at her father with a hard intensity. For a moment, Humphrey thought of asking her what had woken her, and then the memories came back.

Sam had given he, Kala, and Scourge the abilities to telepathically communicate to one another. Useful of a tool as it was, Humphrey still periodically had trouble using the ability with his full will, and sometimes the emotions of his nightmares would transmit to Kala as the two were the closest in the pack. She blinked her amber eyes at him and stretched her lithe body, yawning and displaying her rows of white fangs. She shook her head vigorously and padded over to her father. The moonlight made her silver and tawny-flecked fur pelt shine beautifully, Humphrey smiling. Although she'd primarily adopted his pelt, she had most definitely inherited her beauty from her mother.

Father and daughter walked to the rise where Winston sat, Humphrey beckoning the former Leader Wolf along with him to walk in the cool night air. Winston happily stretched his old limbs and followed them slowly. He was very old, nearly reaching his ninth year. Everyone knew, though no one wanted to actually say it aloud, that Winston did not have much time left. His eyesight and hearing were already becoming dulled with age. It was more difficult for the old wolf to eat and tear into prey. He'd already fully lost his capabilities to hunt, though he insisted that he was fully able to fight when he needed to and would without a moment's hesitation.

Still, they walked slowly as to accommodate for him. For a long time, they walked in silence until they began to hear the sounds of snarling and growling from ahead. Wordlessly, they slunk low to the ground and crept forward over a small hill and peering down into a grassy clearing. There were six black-furred wolves with red, vertical scars over their eyes-the same wolves that Humphrey saw in his nightmarish vision. They were growling at two wolves, a wolf and a she-wolf. A brown-furred wolf was lying on the ground dead, blood pooled around his head. The tear-streaked face of the she-wolf gave away that she had been close to or had known the wolf for a long time.

"Just leave us alone!" The wolf barked at them. He was a black-furred wolf with a white underbelly, dark red streaks of fur running down his flank. Whether it be natural, blood stains, or ochre-painted markings like the Jagged Ice wolves, Humphrey knew not. He looked at Kala's Spirit Markings painted across her face in white ochre. They all had intricate, flowing designs that stretched down her flank and forelegs. The streaks on the wolf must have been blood stains or natural, though Humphrey could tell one thing from him: he seemed truly threatening, giving him a nightmarish appearance not dissimilar from what his first impressions of Sam were before the Great War. His eyes were hard, glaring, dark amber. They bore hatred and insatiable anger, no doubt.

The second was a stark-white furred she-wolf like Lily, though her fur-along with the male's-was rugged and unkempt, lacking the groomed beauty of most she-wolves. Her eyes were light blue with tinges of green upon the irises, giving her eyes a truly striking appearance. Behind her ear was a beautiful owl feather. Across her eyes were vertical red lines that looked to be full ochre coloring. She appeared to be significantly shorter, almost the size of a runt-classed wolf. They did not appear to be part of any pack by the looks of their pelts, their obviously famished and near-starving appearances proving that they must have been lone wolves.

Kala looked hard-set on leaping in to help, but Humphrey shook his head; they didn't know who any of the wolves were, and the last thing Humphrey wanted was for anyone to get hurt over a fight that wasn't theirs. Instead, he decided to watch and listen, and to hopefully pick up something as to what these wolves were fighting over. One of the large black wolves with the vertical red scars stepped forward with a ghastly sneer.

"Whadda ya, think, boys?" He growled, his slurred voice nearly incoherent. "How 'bout the bitch can get 'er full share of matin tonight, eh?" The other wolves growled and howled in laughter and agreement. She fearfully slunk back, the male stepping in front of her and giving a feral snarl.

"If you so much as lay a claw on Kerrigan, I'll-!" He shouted defiantly.

"Ya'll what?" He retorted mockingly. "Ya'll kill us? Don't make us laugh lil runt boy!" The wolves snarled with howling laughter. They prowled forward, and Humphrey motioned for them to leave. Kala, however, looked at Humphrey incredulously.

"What are you doing?" She hissed an exclamation. "We can't just leave them there!"

"We can't get involved, Kala," Humphrey said, Winston falling into step with him.

"He's right," Winston said to her, giving her a sympathetic stare. "We have enough problems to deal with as it is than to get involved with some rival rogue wolves." Kala glared at her father and grandfather hotly and looked back at the hill to where Kerrigan and the other wolf were about to fight.

"Then I'll go myself!" She proclaimed. Humphrey and Winston whirled around to see her dash over the hill.

"Son of a bitch," Humphrey growled, and he and Winston running after her. They leapt down beside Kala, glaring at the black-furred and scarred wolves. The other two wolves looked incredulously at Humphrey, Kala, and Winston. The black-furred wolves, however, snarled gleefully, their bloodlust peaking as they sought for the battle ahead. Humphrey shot a glare at Kala. "You shouldn't have done this, Kala."

"Sorry, Dad," she said, her gaze unwavering from the black-furred wolves. "But I won't abandon good wolves to die." Humphrey glared at the black-furred wolves.

"What do you want with these two?" Humphrey asked him.

"They won't accept transcendence!" One of them shouted. "You must all die!" They leapt forward with fangs barred and claws unsheathed. The five wolves met the six black-furred wolves. One tackled Kala, but not before she could dig her hind claws into his belly and sink her fangs into his neck. Winston dealt with two wolves, holding them at bay. Despite his age and feeble appearance, he was more than prepared that deal with them. In fact, they all were. As threatening as the black-furred wolves appeared, their fighting skills were not on par with their looks.

The battle was over almost as quickly as it begun. The three Jasper wolves darted their eyes about, expecting the worst. They'd been exposed to so much battle and death that it was all they knew anymore. The three turned around to inspect the two wolves. Humphrey was surprised to see that no a drop of blood was on their fur. The she-wolf, Kerrigan, was cowering in fear, shaking uncontrollably. The male was pressed against her flank, trying to calm her down, but her eyes were fixated on the body of the third wolf that they'd been traveling with.

"Who are you two?" Humphrey asked softly. The black-furred male looked up at him skeptically, then took a shaky step forward and stood a bit higher in confidence. Humphrey was impressed with his display.

"My name is Taylor," he said. "I am the Omicron Rank wolf of the War-Eye Clan. This is my friend Kerrigan, Omega of the War-Eye Clan." The three looked at Taylor and Kerrigan, mystified by their strange words. What was War-Eye? What was a 'clan?' And what in the name of the Great Lupus was an 'Omicron?' Pushing these thoughts aside, Humphrey asked another question.

"Who were those wolves?" He asked. "And why were they after you?" Taylor and Kerrigan looked at them as though there was something wrong with their heads.

"Who do you think?" Taylor scoffed sarcastically.

"Those were Saren's wolves, the Black Bloods!" Kerrigan said as though it should be common knowledge. "Come on, who hasn't heard about them yet?" Humphrey shot a look at Winston and Kala, the two looking back at him in worry.

"He's moving faster than we thought," Winston breathed.

"So, you do know about him?" Taylor questioned.

"Yeah," Humphrey said absently. "We knew him not too long ago. It wasn't exactly the best relationship when he tried to kill all of us."

"He only tried?" Kerrigan gasped. "I thought he killed everyone he doesn't like, no matter what! He's a ruthless murderer!"

"He killed one of our she-wolves," Humphrey said downcast, Winston and Kala looking down sadly. "He almost killed us, but he ran off and we escaped. We heard that we're at war now."

"The hell we are," Taylor growled. "Every wolf in the world knows it, especially with the Markers complicating everything…" Humphrey was shocked that word had traveled so fast about the Markers and Saren's army. It was truly shocking to see what he'd done to take the world by storm. At least the Green Marker is out of the way, Humphrey thought. He looked over Taylor and Kerrigan, pitying them. Kala looked at him expectantly; he knew that look in her eyes. Humphrey sighed and looked at the two.

"We have a fresh prey to spare," he offered. "If you'd like to come with us." With that, he left, Winston and Kala falling in step beside him. The two hesitated for several heartbeats…and then followed the Jasper wolves.

 ****A/N: Thanks to Alexander, the silver wolf, The Dark Shadow, imjustlikehumphrey, Dawn Walker Wolf, Someone Who Isn't Important, LilyAndMe, LoyalWolfHumphrey, and The-crazy-lone-wolf77 for reviewing my last chapters! Also, special thanks to my good friend Crowwolf for the new OCs Taylor and Kerrigan! Thank you all for reading! Until next time!****

 ****-The Dishonored Wolf****


	3. Old Friends, New Foes

3\. Old Friends, New Foes

Humphrey was wary of Taylor and Kerrigan. Despite their seemingly-innocent nature and feeble appearances, he wasn't ready to take any chances with unknown wolves. He sent out his mind and brushed against Scourge's, informing him briefly of the situation. He wordlessly met them halfway and watched the two lone wolves from afar, surveying them with cold, analyzing eyes. He watched them for a time until they had reached the area where the rest of the pack was. Humphrey pointed out the area where the prey was, the pack watching them with narrow eyes. They couldn't trust anyone anymore; who the fuck could blame them?

Scourge turned tail and to Humphrey he was going to patrol the area. This was not entirely a lie; it was wise for him to do so, especially if they'd just been in a skirmish with Saren's wolves. If his army was nearby, then Saren couldn't be too far away either. That was, of course, assuming that he hadn't already created bastioned legions of troops given orders by a general. No, that couldn't be so, either; that would require an incredible strain of telepathic communication to gather such an army and command it across long distances. Then again, it would make sense as to how he'd gathered so many wolves under his command already. What he really wanted to see, however, was the wolves themselves. His interest in their identities peaked when he heard of their fur and the scars over their eyes. Though he had tried so hard to blot the memories of his past life from his mind, he could not help but recall one of the other Beta wolves in the Southern Pack, John, a wolf of whom had jet black fur and two jagged scars running vertically down his eyes.

It could not be a mere coincidence that these wolves had the same design of John; if someone had survived the South's destruction, Scourge needed to know about it. He didn't care if his pack despised him; he didn't care if his mate had disavowed him and used him. He needed to know if they survived, if someone had managed to make it out of the barrage of bombings and human destruction that had been wrought upon his former home. If John had survived, though, this could only mean trouble, especially if he'd allied himself with Saren. He was notoriously well known in the South for his insanity and cold-hearted ruthlessness. He was said to bear no emotion save for satisfaction and insatiable hatred. It was rumored that he'd slaughtered an entire wolf pack in their sleep when they stole prey from Southern territory and Scourge certainly did not disbelieve it. He was not any happy sunshine of a wolf that was for sure. John beat wolves for the fun of it, took advantage of she-wolves with threats to kill them if they didn't comply, half of the time still killing them after he was through with them, much to Scourge's disgust.

He came over the hill and saw the six dead, black-furred wolves and the brown-furred wolf. He walked down and carefully inspected the brown-furred male. He scented of the newcomers, Taylor and Kerrigan, though his scent was hard to pick up out of the tangy smell of blood and cold death. He moved one to the other six. Their fur was not all naturally black, though two of them did seem to have natural-black fur; the rest was probably ochre. They all bore white markings on their faces and paws not dissimilar to the Spirit Markings of the Jagged Ice wolves, but they were all the same, all containing one symbol on their paws, forehead, and the back of their ears: it was an illustration of the Marker. No doubt these were Saren's wolves, but they were not built to be fighters. Many of them were slightly overweight or scrawny, easily putting them in the Omega class for simple packs like Western Jasper. Despite Saren's speed in gaining an army, he certainly had not made a particularly strong one. Still, there was strength in numbers, and they had managed to kill one wolf simply because he could not fight. Humphrey, Kala, and Winston, on the other paw, could, which gave them the edge they needed in the fight against these 'Black Bloods.'

He caught the trace of scent that was vaguely familiar to Scourge. He inspected one of the wolves, his belly torn open and neck ripped apart, his head bent at an awkward, sideways angle. He vigorously rubbed the fur pelt of the wolf and the black began to wear off a bit, revealing a grey pelt underneath. He opened the eye lids of the wolf and inspected his eyes-they were a dark blue. He scented the wolf and realized that he had the same scent that Scourge had been born with: the Southern pack. He knew this wolf, or at least, he thought he did. There was one more thing he needed to check first, however. He pulled back the lip of the wolf and saw that he was missing his left molar, a cleaved red mark by a claw in battle in its place. Scourge staggered back with the realization that the Southern Pack had not died off like he'd been led to believe. For years, he thought he was the last of his bloodline-now he knew that he was not alone.

**Kala**

Kala was unsure as to what to think of Taylor and Kerrigan. Sure, she was incredibly wary of the two; after what happened with the Jagged Ice wolves, she was unsure if she'd ever be able to fully trust anyone ever again save for those in her pack. Then again, Lily had become increasingly hostile towards Kala and Faolan was still questionable despite his unwavering loyalty to Kala. Yet Kala was unsure about the newcomers. She wanted to trust them; they looked quite harmless and nice, though Kerrigan looked completely distraught from the attack.

"Owllyker," she murmured repeatedly like a mantra. She said the word over and over again, tears leaking from her eyes and running down her face, her voice rasping as she repeated the word in choked sobs, refusing to eat the prey that she had offered the two of them. Taylor looked at her in worry, whispering softly into her ear and licking her fur in attempts to comfort her. Kala assumed that they were mates yet did not want to make any assumptions yet. Faolan approached Kala and his eyes darted over to Taylor and Kerrigan.

"What are you thinking?" He asked her curiously. Kala's eyes darted back to her mate-to-be; despite Humphrey's dislike for the blue-grey furred Jagged Ice wolf, he had stolen her heart and they had full intentions to become mates when they got the chance, though she insisted on Faolan receiving her father's blessing before-paw, wanting him to accept him as she did. He knew her well, reading her thoughts and emotions as though they were inscribed in stone by the Ancients themselves.

"I want to talk to them," she replied softly. "Kerrigan doesn't look too good and Taylor's not exactly helping her."

"I know you want to help, Kala," Faolan said, pressing his nose into her neck fur. "But they're strangers; they can't be trusted, and their problems aren't ours." She pulled away from him with a hard glare and stubbornly walked away from him, approaching Taylor and Kerrigan. She raised her tail as she walked; firmly portraying who was the dominant one in their relationship. Kacey saw her response from across the clearing and tried to keep from laughing hardily; that was what she'd taught her stepdaughter-always keep the males in line. Taylor looked up at her with his hard, dark amber eyes.

Kala was not one to instantly take one for a threat and searched his eyes instead. If she had learned anything in her life, it was that the eyes told the story of another in more ways than any other form of communication. She drove past his hardened exterior and into the depths of his being, searching for what made Taylor 'Taylor.' Kala saw deep, horrible, heart-wrenching pain and deep emotion agony that tormented Taylor's being. She saw the longing of companionship and the suicidal and self-inflicted pain tendencies that could be told in the format of a clear story in his eyes. Taylor was no bad wolf; Kala knew this with utmost certainty.

She approached them and sat down two wolf lengths from the two, flashing them a warm, friendly smile and slightly wagging her tail in greeting. Taylor looked at her skeptically, moving his left paw in front of Kerrigan, his muscles tensing and claws ready to be unsheathed if needed. He was clearly ready to protect the she-wolf if need be, a valuable trait that Kala instantaneously admired about the male. Courage in the face of potential danger and care for those around a wolf were things that very few wolves nowadays truly had anymore. Kala found it truly heartwarming that these two wolves had managed to keep these traits alive within themselves. Kala lowered her tail and drooped her ears several millimeters, trying to give them a less imposing appearance of her. Faolan watched her from several meters away, ready to leap in to protect Kala if need be. Kala, however, had tried on too many occasions to explain to Faolan that she was perfectly capable of protecting herself, but being the typical male that he was, Faolan was driven by instinct to protect her.

"Hi," Kala greeted them. "My name is Kala; I'm the daughter of Humphrey, our Leader Wolf." She gestured to Humphrey who was talking to Winston in hushed tones across the clearing, deciding what to do with the newcomers. Kerrigan didn't seem to have any sense left in her head, so Taylor stepped in front to talk to her.

"I am Taylor, Omicron of the War-Eye Clan," he said. He gestured to the half-crazed she-wolf. "This is my best friend, Kerrigan, Omega of the War-Eye Clan."

"It's a pleasure to meet you two," Kala said cheerfully. "If you don't mind me asking, though, I've never heard of 'Omicron' or 'Clan' before. If it's not too much of an inconvenience, can you explain what those words mean?"

"Omicron is a rank in our clan," Taylor replied, straightening as though he was prided to be entitled to the rank. "It is reminiscent of the 'Beta' rank, though slightly higher in class and just below the rank of Alpha. Clan is our word for a particularly large pack of wolves. We were nearly three hundred wolves in War-Eye, hence why we adopted the term 'clan' to describe us."

"I see, thank you," Kala said graciously, then she turned her attention to Kerrigan. She looked at the she-wolf in concern, and then turned back to Taylor. "What's that word she keeps saying-Owllyker?" As soon as it left her mouth, Kerrigan began to cry harder and Taylor nuzzled the she-wolf, glaring at Kala.

"That isn't your business," he growled. Kala was taken aback by the forced anger of his words; it was just a simple question!

"He was my wolf friend," Kerrigan sputtered near-incoherently, Taylor wincing as though he'd been struck when she said, 'wolf friend.' "He was killed by the B-Black Bloods!" Kala felt a pang of sympathy for the poor she-wolf; Kala did not yet know what it felt like to lose one that was close to her yet but knew that the rest of her pack knew full well. Humphrey had lost Kate, Scourge and Kacey had lost their packs, Lily and Garth had lost their son, Winston had lost his daughter and mate, Salty had lost two of his best friends and his mate. Kala couldn't imagine losing any of them or her own wolf friend. It would be a horrible torture to be deprived of that sort of companionship. She looked sorrowfully at the two and respectfully walked away, leaving the two in the company of one another.

Faolan looked at her as she walked back, Kala pressing her head against his flank, Faolan licking her ear in affectionate comfort. She pulled away and nuzzled his cheek, then walked back to her father and grandfather as they continued to debate over what was to be done with the lone wolves.

Kala noticed Scourge come over the rise and stagger into the clearing, a hollow, haunting look in his eyes. Kala was concerned by his appearance; Scourge had always been the solitary, strong-willed, hardened wolf of the pack for as long as Kala had known him, and to see him in his current state was quite worrisome. She looked at him questioningly, but her kindly uncle-like figure and friend in her life did not return her look, simply walking over to the elder and Leader Wolf. Kala looked at Faolan in concern, Faolan shrugging. She asked to be left alone for a bit and Faolan smiled, licking her cheek and complying, allowing Kala the space she desired, no matter how long it took her to keep that space. Without anyone to talk to, she walked into the grasslands alone and sat down, looking out over the endless plains of grass towards the misty grey lumps in the far distance that she assumed were mountains, though many moon-walks away.

Kala scratched behind her ear and realized for the first time since they'd left the mountains that her violet flower was absent. She sighed, looking down at the ground. It made sense now why her mother had not talked to her in such a long time; she must have lost it the night of the attack, possibly even when she fought the Basilisk. She heard the rustle of feathers behind her and Marcel and Iris lighted down next to her.

"Oh, mademoiselle," Marcel sighed. "What is wrong, Miss Kala?"

"Nothing," Kala muttered sullenly.

"Nothing?" Iris piped. "Nothing, nothing, nothing, and more and more nothing? Why nothing when it's most obviously something?"

"Do you ever stop talking?" Kala asked her, amused and annoyed at the same time.

"Unfortunately, no," Marcel groaned, rubbing the back of his head. "She never shuts up no matter how many times you tell her to."

"Well I'm just fun that way!" Iris proclaimed loudly with a smile. Kala grinned widely and laughed.

"That you are, Iris," she said with a returning, sharp-toothed smile. She looked at Iris' damaged face, pitying the poor pintail for her mortal injury. For the rest of her life she'd bear only half of a face, for the other had been torn through by a human bullet going through her eye. Instantly, her eye darted to Kala's ear.

"Miss Kala!" She exclaimed. "Your flower is missing!"

"Yeah," Kala said, her ears drooping sadly. "It is."

"I'll take wing, flight, flying fly high and find you a new one!" Iris said, readying her wings.

"No, Iris, it's-" Kala didn't get a chance to finish, for Iris had already flown high into the air, flying away. Marcel breathed an exasperated sigh of relief. "Okay, you don't have to go." Kala finished.

"It's about time she left," Marcel said grumpily, waddling back to the clearing. "She's like an annoying buzzard that will never just shut up!" Kala smiled at him and began to follow when she heard a feminine giggle from her left. She whirled around, to see a flash of tawny fur dart away and dissipate. She smiled wider, her heart expanding; her mother had not left her.

 ****A/N: Thanks for reading the chapter everyone! Thanks to REX and REY, imjustlikehumphrey, Crowwolf, Dawn Walker Wolf, Alexander, LilyAndMe, The-crazy-lone-wolf77, and the dark shadow for reviewing my last chapter! Until next time!****

 ****-The Dishonored Wolf****


	4. Where Do Your Loyalties Lie?

4\. Where Do Your Loyalties Lie?

Collette walked away from Nicholas angrily, back towards her pack. She could hear his pained, desperate whimpers from behind her, but she ignored him. She felt a soft kick in her womb, the clear indication that their pups were growing. She had been pregnant for nearly a full moon, eagerly anticipating the arrival of the pups. It was so close it seemed, to her transition from more than just Leader She-Wolf, but to mother of proud, beautiful pups. They would look like her and bear her strength and courage, her ferocity and loyalty, and her charm and even her intimidation. She padded to the river and began to wade through the water until it became too deep and she began to swim. She shook herself dry as she reached the shoreline and stretched her lithe, beautiful body, the sunlight gleaming off of the droplets in her luxurious fur. She did not know what made her do so, but she turned back and looked in the direction that she had left Nicholas, her mate, at. He was gone. Shrugging in discontent and not so much caring for the Beta wolf, Collette padded swiftly and gracefully into the Pack Den, looking about.

Finally, her eyes were drawn to a particularly handsome black-furred wolf with vertical scars over his eyes. John was always the strong yet silent wolf of the pack, the perfect father of her pups. Nicholas may have been the biological body father, but he was not worthy of the father of her pups. She slyly walked up to John and ran her body underneath his chin, her tail lightly dragging across his face. As all seduced wolves did, he followed her back to her den. She did not turn; she did not meet his gaze. She simply lay down and closed her eyes as he mounted her, sliding his wolfhood into her rear and thrusting into her. She did not make a sound, she did not move; though it may have seemed a disappointment and worry to most males as though they weren't pleasing the she-wolf enough, the reason Collette refrained from doing so was to prove her strength. He released into her and they became tied, Collette's rump burning from the feeling of the mating. Upon his becoming untied, Collette ordered that he pull out of her. For the first time in her life, however, he disobeyed her orders.

He continued to thrust into her, harder and faster as she barked and snarled at him to get off. He grabbed her scruff and slammed her head into the stone ground of her den. Her jaw released an audible crack as it connected with the ground and John pulled out, shoving himself into her she-wolfhood. She gasped in pain and horror; no, she was already pregnant! Mating in this way could hurt her pups. She scrambled to get away, to fight back, but he sank his claws into her legs and slammed into her with insatiable force. She groaned and coughed, trying to escape his stone-hard grasp, but he would not allow her to do so until he'd released into her. She cried out to her pack, but they did not come to her aid. John was a ruthless monster of a wolf; no one would help her fight him, even if she was their Leader She-Wolf. Collette began to cry softly, broken and ravaged by the scarred wolf. She was helpless as he took advantage of her body and did as he so pleased. When he was finished, he left the den, Collette curling up tightly to cry heavily.

It wasn't long before she could hear the sounds of humans attacking, her mind flashing back to what Nicholas had told her of his dreams. She cried out to him, regretting not listening to him before. In an instant, her life flashed before her eyes, and she hated herself for the wrongs she'd committed. How could she cast out Nicholas like she had? He was her best friend for Lupus' sake! They had been friends since they were pups, and she'd fantasized of them becoming mates in her early years. How could she call him a scourge on her life? How could she be so terrible? And then to do what she'd done and allow another male to take her after she'd sworn loyalty to her mate as he'd done for her? What kind of sick, horrible, hideous monster of a she-wolf was she? This wasn't what she wanted to become, this wasn't the she-wolf that she wanted to be when-or rather, if-she was to mother her pups! She dragged herself up, intent on finding him. She stumbled to the front of the den and was suddenly thrown against the wall when a massive ball of flame exploded next to her.

She groaned as she forced herself to her paws, the forested island burning as wolves ran past her to escape the inferno. She shook her head, clearing her senses as she sprinted after the wolves, getting away from the horrible slaughter and annihilation of her pack. Humans began rushing into the forest, firing their weapons at the wolves when they passed and shooting at other humans on the other side. Collette ducked and dodged the bullets, narrowly evading their piercing edges. Her tongue lolled out as she strained herself to escape the fire and destruction of her pack, her home.

She swam across the river and did not stop running south until her legs collapsed from underneath her. She panted heavily, the survivors-and there were many-standing about, looking back in horror and misery at their home. Collette stared back and saw the fires eat away at the island, the human obliterating their entire world for their damned, hell-spawn war. She let a tear fall as rain pattered on the ground and on their pelts. She had cast out the only one that would ever truly love her, she had wronged her pack, and their home was gone. She'd failed.

Kala opened her eyes and looked at her father and uncle. The three were lying in a dark forest, Sam sitting atop a rise nearby, watching them with his keen, crimson eyes. Slowly, Humphrey and Scourge woke, stretching their limbs and standing beside Kala. None of them spoke, the silence between the three unnerving. Kala shuffled her paws in nervousness, Humphrey looked away. Scourge, however, stared blankly at the ground. He was clearly heartbroken by what Collette had done. How could any she-wolf do that to his heart? He had been such a kind, caring, compassionate wolf and she'd cast him out. What kind of horrible witch was she?

Scourge had told Humphrey of what he'd learned, but unbeknownst to the two, Kala had been listening in as well and requested that she be allowed to come along with them. They had been initially reluctant and refused to allow her what she wished, but Kala had a stubborn tendency inherited by her mother to not back down so easily, incessantly pestering them to allow her to see Sam until they complied. They had traveled far down the river and at twilight, laid underneath the moon and the stars, their minds connecting as Sam reached out to them to show them what truly happened to the Southern Pack in its supposed 'complete and total annihilation.'

"I can't believe that she did that to you, Scourge!" Kala cried, running to her uncle. "What kind of a horrible, ugly, disgusting, disgraceful, terrible, whorish-" Humphrey growled, giving her a stern glare. Kala's ears flattened to her skull and she sheepishly shied away, remembering that Scourge still very much loved his former mate.

"Becoming Alpha changed her," Scourge murmured. "She wasn't always like that…and now I know that she's still alive. She could be held captive by Saren right now; I have to go find her!"

"Wait, Scourge!" Humphrey said. Scourge flashed him a deadly glare from his yellow eyes. "We can't just rush headlong into what could be a trap. It's been three years since you've seen her, things may have changed. She may not even be alive right now, and if she is, then she's with Saren. She's the enemy!"

"How can you say that?" Scourge snarled at him. "She's not the enemy, she's my mate!"

"She betrayed you in your final hours together," Humphrey growled. "She's not your mate anymore. If she's still alive, it's up to you to figure out where your loyalties truly lie: with us, or with her and Saren. It's your choice, Scourge."

"You can't make me choose."

"Watch me."

"Both of you are bickering of the most simplistic of things," Sam said, the three wolves looking at him. "When you should be focusing your efforts on the true problem at hand. The only way you can save those you love is to find the Pack of the Winter Mountains, yet the only way you can save life as you know it is to destroy the Markers, of which both Saren and John are closing in on."

"He's right," Kala sighed. "If we don't focus on what the real problem is, we're as good as dead." Humphrey glared at Scourge and they were transported out of the vision and back to reality.

**Later**

Kala was lying beside Faolan, her head resting in his forepaws as he gently licked her fur, her tail swishing back and forth slowly. She closed her eyes and slowed her breathing, letting her exhaustion take hold of her. Humphrey was on first watch, sitting atop a rise and watching the planes. Winston was lying beside an old log, Lily and Garth curled together several meters away. Salty was looking hollowly back to the south, longing for the companionship of his mate. Sweets was killed by several necromorphs in the rising of the Red Marker. Kala felt a pang of sympathy for him when thinking of how he'd lost the one he loved.

Across the way were Taylor and Kerrigan. The she-wolf had eventually cried herself to sleep, Taylor laying his head atop her back in comfort. The beautiful white she-wolf's face was stricken with dried tears that had run into her fur. Kala was sad, pitying Kerrigan for the loss of her wolf friend. She couldn't imagine losing Faolan, not when she was so close to him now. Humphrey had talked to them and allowed them to stay in the pack, but under constant surveillance. Kala was glad that her father had done so; no wolf-at least in Kala's eyes-deserved to be alone. Faolan nibbled the tip of her right ear and Kala giggled lightly. She opened her amber eyes-the eyes of her mother-and stared into Faolan's brilliant jade-green eyes. He smiled warmly at her and she smiled back slyly. She rolled on her side and Faolan started to lick her chest fur. Almost immediately, however, they heard a growl from behind.

Faolan whipped around to see that the growl had come from the small she-pup that Kala had named, Luna. Her fur bristled as she glared at Faolan. Kala tried her best to not laugh at Luna's defensiveness over her older sister and got up, stretching her limbs and licking the side of Faolan's face playfully. He grinned and nuzzled her, walking away as Kala beckoned to Luna. Luna's dark blue eyes blinked, and she tilted her head as she began to follow Kala into the planes.

"Tag, you're it!" Kala yelled, bopping Luna on the nose. Luna reeled back in initial surprise, but quickly regained herself and grinned happily, bounding happily after Kala. In the moonlight they played about, the two rolling around in glee when they caught one another. Unbeknownst to them, Humphrey was watching from afar, smiling at the two. In the morning, they would move out, and they would head for the Winter Mountains. They had to reach the range before the Summer Solstice or he'd risk the deaths of his pack.

"Don't be afraid, my love," a sweet voice whispered to him. Humphrey turned, scenting the sweet scent of his mate. What he saw, however, was his daughter, Kate, pressed against him. Humphrey smiled, remembering what she'd told him. This was Kate's second chance-the conjoined personalities of his mate and his daughter to give her a second chance at life after her untimely death. Humphrey bent over and nuzzled the she-pup.

"I will protect you, Kate," he whispered. "I promise."

 ****A/N: Thanks to Alexander, the dark shadow, imjustlikehumphrey, LilyAndMe, and The-crazy-lone-wolf77 for reviewing my last chapter. Until next time.****

 ****-The Dishonored Wolf****


	5. Kerrigan's Vengeance

5\. Kerrigan's Vengeance

Kala padded dubiously after the rest of the pack. On her back just below her neck was the small she-pup Luna, resting peacefully. Kala was reluctant to carry her, arguing that she was becoming too big to be carried, but Luna's large, pleading eyes were impossible to deny, and she knelt for the small pup to clamber on her back. Careful to not send the pup toppling off her back, Kala moved slowly and carefully as they walked. Ryker and Kate had tried to climb onto her back as well, but she denied their requests; Luna was already enough of a load to carry, and three pups would certainly bring her to the brink of collapse. They went to their mother and aunt instead, both complying with their requests for a ride rather than to be forced to walk. The worst part of it all, however, was the fact that they hadn't been walking for twenty minutes when the pups decided that they didn't feel like walking anymore. Had it been two moons ago when they were only five weeks old, the exceptions could have been made for them, but they were now over three moons of age and becoming far too big to be carried around everywhere. Luckily for Kala, Faolan was happily willing to help carry Luna when Kala was becoming tired. She would lean against him and the pup would slide gently onto his back, allowing Kala's aching muscles the relief that they desired. Every hour or so, they'd switch which one of them carried her, relieving the other and giving them time to relax their muscles and bones before they were to carry the pup. Throughout the journey, Luna never made a sound save for when she yawned or mumbled something in her sleep as she dreamt. Kala briefly wondered what visions were going on in her little sister's mind.

The pack had left at dawn the next morning, making way for the north towards the Winter Mountains. Taylor and Kerrigan had chosen to follow. Kala was surprised that they did so having not known where they were going or if they could even trust the Jasper wolves. She assumed that it was because they'd been lone wolves for a long time and longed for the companionship of another pack. It would certainly make sense; Kala couldn't imagine being a lone wolf, nor did she want to become one. To have a life of solitude would, of course, have its benefits. It would be a life to think, to mesmerize, to be bound by no laws. A lone wolf, however, would not have the luxury of the company of wolves he or she loves. The lone wolf would die alone, have no purpose, and be shunned by all wolf packs it came into contact with. It would be susceptible to catching diseases and being killed, it would have to hunt small game or be at risk of being injured or killed by larger prey. It was not a life that Kala aspired to have.

Marcel had flown ahead at dawn to scout ahead. He'd checked in with Humphrey several times to warn of natural obstructions several times but hadn't returned in over two hours since his last update. Humphrey had begun to worry, Kala equally concerned. Iris hadn't returned since she'd gone looking for the flower, but she was a swift, cunning bird; she could take care of herself, even with the absence of her eye. There was also the all-too valid argument that if she could survive a human bullet, she could sure as hell survive an attack by any animal or natural force.

It was now Faolan's turn to carry Luna, the pup curling on his back. He looked back at her with warm eyes, licking her cheek and causing her to giggle. Kala smiled at the two, grinning fondly at her wolffriend. He was so good with pups, so caring and fatherly, just as Kala was motherly as well as sisterly to the three young pups. She knew that it was inevitable that she and Faolan would become mates, and she longed for that day. Although she incessantly denied it, she did, in fact, want to have pups with Faolan. She knew that he'd make a great father and mate, and she daydreamt wistfully of what they would like as a family, speaking with their grandfather, and perhaps even their great grandfather. It was a perfect life that they would share, and perhaps when that happened, Humphrey would finally accept Faolan like she longed for him to. Humphrey, however, would be hard to convince. Faolan tried his best to prove himself as a suitable mate for Kala, but he refused to see him in the same light that she did.

She brushed the thought aside, not wishing to dwell on it so much. It would only drive her insane with paranoia if she continued to think about it all. She watched as Taylor tried to talk to Kerrigan, to calm her down and comfort her. Whatever he was trying, however, did not seem to work, for Kerrigan only seemed to become more distressed and cried all the more. Kala rolled her eyes and thought, 'Males,' and then walked up to them. Taylor didn't understand she-wolves enough to properly help her.

"Hey, Kerrigan," Kala piped cheerfully. The white-furred she-wolf turned her gaze to Kala, tears running through the red ochre lines on her eyes and down the sides of her face. Kala pitied the poor she-wolf. She had obviously been very close to Owllyker and his death pained her horribly. Kala, of course, did not have experience with the type of pain that Kerrigan was experiencing, but she knew how she-wolves acted and how to help mend a shattered heart. Kala requested to talk with Kerrigan as she-wolf to she-wolf, Taylor reluctantly padding a short distance away to leave the two alone to talk. Faolan watched from a distance, interested in Kala's actions.

"H-hi," she stammered, sniffling as tears rolled down her cheeks. Kala flashed her a warm smile.

"Kerrigan, I won't act like I know what you're going through," Kala told her gently. "But I know that dwelling on the past and letting the pain and hurt build up inside of you won't make matters any better, either. Do you want to talk about it? About Owllyker?" She flinched when she said his name, her eyes swimming as she walked beside Kala. It wasn't easy to talk about a passed loved one, especially when lost so recently, when they were so close, but Kala wanted to help, and Kerrigan knew so. She took a shaky breath.

"We were best friends ever since we were pups," Kerrigan began, Kala listening intently. "He was the son of one of the War-Eye Noble Wolves, like a lower-class Alpha but a higher-class Omicron. He was one of the wolves that could have been the next Leader Wolf of War-Eye. It wasn't probable, but it was a possibility nevertheless. As we continued to see each other, we fell in love and he asked me one day if I'd become his mate…I said yes. His father, though, he didn't like me. I know not why, but he didn't think I was a worthy mate for his son."

"For moons, he tried to keep me away from him, to drive me off. When he proved that his love was unconditional, his father tried to kill me. Owllyker stopped it, but that only made his father angrier and he tried to kill us both. He wanted to make him feel pain, so he tried to kill me in front of him, but Owllyker killed his father. After the pack was destroyed, Owllyker and I met another survivor, Taylor. He joined us and Owllyker swore to me that we'd find a place to live, somewhere safe where we could start our own pack. Ever since the Marker raised three moons ago, Saren's Black Bloods have been hunting us like prey. They cornered us and…and then they killed Owllyker when he tried to protect me from them."

Immediately, she convulsed in sobs, Kala close to tears herself after hearing the dreadful story. How could life be so cruel to the poor she-wolf? What had she done to deserve to lose her pack and then her future mate? It was a terrible fate that befell Owllyker, and Kala was sorry for her. She stopped Kerrigan and embraced her tightly, letting her cry. Kala whispered her apologies and condolences to Kerrigan, calming her down slowly but surely. She hiccupped and sniffled, sobbing harder as she let out her stream of emotions. It was terrible that the poor she-wolf had to have gone through that, and Kala felt horrible.

Eventually, Kerrigan calmed down and smiled sadly, thanking Kala. Taylor returned to her side and dipped his head in appreciation to Kala. She returned to Faolan, her wolffriend smiling broadly at her. He licked her cheek affectionately and then heard her father summon her. Humphrey's ice blue gaze followed her, Kala nervously looking between him and Faolan. Faolan lightly nudged her towards him, smiling and nodding for her to go. She sulked up to her father, padding beside him for a time in silence. She knew not whey he wanted to talk to her, however; what was she going to hear from him? Anger, frustration, exasperation? What surprised her, however, was that it was none of the three. He looked at her and smiled, nuzzling her face.

"You're just like your mother," Humphrey said with a smile. "She always wanted to help out others. She was so caring and loving…you have a lot of her in you." Kala smiled at her father, their eyes locking. They had been through hell and back together, and they'd continue to ride through that storm until they achieved the life they always should have had.

"Monsieur!" A voice cried out. They looked skyward and saw Marcel fly down towards them. He collapsed on the ground, heaving and panting, his chest rising and falling quickly and his eyes bulging out of his skull. Kala and Humphrey rushed to his form, Marcel obviously trying to say something, but his labored breathing kept him from coherent speech.

"Marcel, what is it?" Humphrey asked him. "What's wrong?" He received nothing but heavy breathing in reply.

"What's wrong?" Kala persisted. "What happened?"

"I-I shu-I shu!" Marcel gasped.

"He what?" Humphrey asked, giving a puzzled look at Kala. She shrugged, unable to figure out what he was saying. "What is that, Marcel?"

"Bar Duds! I shu teh yeeping bar dudses!"

"The bar dudses?" Kala asked.

"BAR DUDSES!" Marcel sputtered.

"This is the most confusing game of charades I've ever played," Humphrey said, looking down at him. Kala nodded her head in agreement.

"He said," a voice screamed from above: they looked up to see Iris flying downward. "He saw the freaking Black Bloods!" Humphrey's eyes widened with momentary panic, looking about the planes. As if in response, a group of black-furred wolves with scars over their eyes appeared, glaring and snarling at them. The pack saw them immediately and unsheathed their claws, barring their fangs. Luna leapt off of Scourge's back and huddled with Ryker and Kate in the back, the elder wolves standing in front of them. Winston trailed back and stood directly in front of the pups protectively. Despite his ability to fight, he was better prepared to be a last line of defense for the pups if the rest failed.

Kala stood beside her father, Kacey padding to his other side. Salty stood beside Kala, Lily and Garth beside Kacey, Faolan on the other side of Salty. Taylor and Kerrigan stood to the side of Lily and Garth. Their guard hairs stood on end, their claws sank into the soft earth, their eyes glared ahead, and their fangs glistened in the golden sunlight. The Black Blood wolves followed similar suite.

It was nine united wolves and Iris as well as the slowly recovering Marcel against ten of Saren's Black Blood wolves. They stood still for a long while, a long stalemate ensuing between the two forces. Then, with the vicious snarl of their leader, the Black Bloods charged forward, the Jasper pack meeting their charge. Kala hardened herself as they charged, her eyes locking with the sickly yellow glare of a Black Blood wolf. When she was within range, he leapt at her-a critical mistake on his part. She slid on her back and hooked her claws underneath his fur pelt and into his rib cage, batting his belly and groin viciously. He snarled and bit at her throat, Kala dodging, missing his fangs by a hair's breadth. She rolled out from underneath him and whirled around quickly, sinking her fangs into his right hind leg. He roared in anger and bit at her, tearing his fangs into her shoulder. The pain was insatiable, Kala crying out in pain from the bite. She tried to scramble away, to bat him away, but he held fast. She whimpered and cried, screaming in pain as he sank his fangs deeper into her. Blood spurted heavily from her shoulder and she desperately sought for anything she could use to get him off. Then she remembered-she still had the necklace with the Basilisk's fang around her neck. She grabbed it with her fangs and shoved it into his eye socket.

The Black Blood wolf screeched and let go as the venomous fang infected him with its black fluids. She pushed him to the ground and wrenched the fang from his face, the severed, deflated eye sinking into his skull. She reared back and shoved it into the side of his head, just in front of his ear. His skull cracked and caved in, the fang polluting his brain with black Basilisk venom. His body convulsed and black-green, Basilisk infected blood flew from around his eyes, out of his nose, and drooled sickeningly out of his mouth. A Basilisk's venom was incurable and always fatal, no matter the amount in the bloodstream of any living creature. She ripped it out of his head again and hung it from her neck, limping forward to help the rest. Scourge was tangled with two Black Bloods, holding them at bay just barely while Marcel and Iris bat at their heads, occasionally whipping about to bat at the other Black Bloods. It appeared that none of the Black Bloods had bitten the other wolves, though scratch marks were clearly visible across their bodies. Humphrey and Kacey stood back to back as they fought off Black Bloods, Faolan being badly beaten by a large wolf.

Figuring he was in the direst need of assistance, Kala stumbled towards him and scratched the Black Blood's eyes. He snarled and reared back to fight her, giving Faolan the advantage he needed. He jerked upward in a flash and tore out the Black Blood's throat. His eyes rolled back, and he tried to cough, only for the blood to flow through his neck in a dark spurt. It collapsed and Faolan saw Kala's condition.

"Get to the pups!" Faolan barked.

"No, I'm not leaving!" She protested angrily. "I'm fine!"

"I'm not arguing, Kala!" Faolan snarled, leaping into help the others.

"Neither am I!" She growled, limping forward to help her aunt and uncle hold off two Black Bloods. She snarled and ignored the pain as best as she could, grabbing the Basilisk fang and stabbing any wolf that came within reach, the poisonous venom killing them from the inside out. It was a horrible, slow, painful way to die, but it saved her pack from the wolves they couldn't kill. Within minutes, they stood around the ten dead Black Bloods, the earth stained with the venom infected blood of the wolves Kala stabbed and the crimson blood of those she did not kill herself.

Taylor and Kerrigan stood near one another, Kerrigan breathing heavily as she stared at the body of a Black Blood wolf. She glared hard at the Black Blood, the rest of the wolves looking about, expecting more of Saren's wolves to come out to fight. This is what life had turned into for them-they were no longer just wolves of Jasper Park or other packs, worrying about border patrols and a mad wolf that would show up once every few decades or so. Now, they were warriors.

Kala clutched her wounded shoulder, looking at it. Blood and pus leaked from the wound, green, infected tissue appearing. She glared at the wolf that bit her and noticed its teeth were coated in a blue-green liquid, possibly some kind of poison. Then again, if it was poison, he would be dead, too. The black, infected blood of the Basilisk venom was probably the cause of the color, and he was probably sick, infecting her lightly with a small feverish sickness. She only felt a burning pain, not anything unexpected of being bit by another wolf. Faolan, however, was not happy with her.

"Have you gone Mad Wolf?" He exclaimed. "You're injured! I told you to go back with Winston and the pups, you could have gotten yourself killed!"

"You must have gone Mad Wolf if you think I'm going to leave a battle like this!" Kala snarled. She shoved her way past him. "Besides, I'm not dead, am I?" Humphrey looked after his daughter wordlessly as she limped over to Winston and the pups.

"Great Lupus," Winston breathed. "Kala, are you okay?"

"KALA!" The pups cried in unison, rushing to her. They looked in worry at her wound.

"Are you okay?" Kate cried.

"Did they hurt you bad?" Ryker asked, frightened.

"I don't want to lose my big sister!" Luna wailed. Kala smiled warmly at them and took them all in a large embrace, nuzzling them all.

"Hey, it's alright," she said calmingly to them. "It'll take a lot more than that to get rid of me, guys." She smiled, and Humphrey howled for them to get moving. If there were Black Bloods in the planes, then they'd still look for the wolves they'd killed. It was time to move out. As Kala limped forward, Iris flew in front of her. She let up a wing and, from her plumage of spotted feathers, drew a violet flower. She placed it behind Kala's ear and admired her. Kala pressed her nose gently against her forehead and Iris smiled.

They gathered away from the hill, trying to keep the pups from seeing the carnage. Kala was the last to fall in with them, Faolan, despite his anger, helping support her. She looked back and saw Taylor trying to take Kerrigan away, but she was glaring heatedly at the Black Blood wolf on the ground. Finally, she wrenched one of his canines from his maw and began to stab his head repeatedly, blood spurting as she stabbed him more and more. She did not stop until his head was an unrecognizable, bloodied scrap. She breathed heavily, glaring at the Black Blood.

"That's for Owllyker you Black Blood fucking piece of shit," she spa. She stalked past Taylor, Faolan, and Kala, the three wolves looking after her in shock. Apparently the Jasper pack wasn't the only group that had been changed.

 ****A/N: Thanks to Alexander, the dark shadow, MoonTrekerAF, Dawn Walker Wolf, The-crazy-lone-wolf, imjustlikehumphrey, Crowwolf, and LoyalWolfHumphrey for reviewing. Until next time!****

 ****-The Dishonored Wolf****


	6. A Fallen Friend

6\. A Fallen Friend

Humphrey was growing weary by the day. It had been six days since the attack and Kala wasn't doing well. Her shoulder wound had turned a yellow-green as some type of infection spread into her. She kept saying that she was fine, but Humphrey knew better; her eyes were hollow and gaunt, fatigue wearing her down. She continuously threw up almost everything she ate, and her limbs were as weak as blades of grass. The heat radiating from her body proved the all-too-clearly evident fever that plagued his daughter. Humphrey immediately went to Lily for help. As Eve's daughter, she had learned many skills in using herbs and ways to help sick wolves, meaning that she would be able to help Kala in her time of need. Unfortunately, Lily held a deep, terrible grudge against Kala. She had not spoken a word to his daughter since the night of the attack-the night that Kala was forced to kill their adopted son, Firetail. Lily knew full well that Kala had no choice but to kill him, but she did not forgive her niece. Garth understood and forgave despite his grief; he treated her as he always had, but Lily did not.

When he came to his sister in law for help, Lily initially refused to tend to Kala. Her resistance drove Humphrey to begging her incessantly, even Garth and Winston trying to make her see reason, but to no avail. She would not help the killer of her son. She was barren, unable to birth her own pups, meaning that Firetail was her only chance at motherhood. Kala had taken his life and her entitlement of being a mother as well as Garth's for being a father, and for that Lily loathed and resented the life of her sister's young daughter.

Hence days went by as Kala received no medical treatment of any kind. Faolan grew increasingly concerned for her well-being, trying to help her as much as possible. Kala was annoyed, and heart warmed by his actions, but she tried her best to not be forced to rely on others to continue onward.

This was not the only reason that Humphrey was weary however, though the stress did wear him out all the more as the days wore on. Sam provided no tangible information as to how to reach the Pack of the Winter Mountains, and Humphrey had less than three weeks before the Summer Solstice. When that day came, he would have no choice but to divert his pack to the place that they would meet Fenrir's army. If they couldn't find the Winter Mountains, then Humphrey would be bringing not only his entire pack into war, but an elder, his daughter, his mate, his best friend, two strangers, and his own three pups, all of which had not seen their fourth moon yet and were still just small enough to be carried on the backs of the wolves, though not without some effort. Humphrey couldn't allow them to go into war. They wouldn't make it, they had no chance! And even if they did stand as a threat to the enemy, if anything happened to his pack, Humphrey would never forgive himself. Finding the Winter Mountains was imperative, but he had no solid evidence of where to find them at all. Sam hadn't a clue as to how to find them or even where to begin looking, only that they were somewhere north. Fenrir had alluded to the fact that at one point they had indeed existed, but never said if they still did or not. For all they knew, he could be giving them false hope for something they'd never find.

Scourge padded on his right, his eyes glaring forward intently. Humphrey looked at him, looking back to the time of the Great War. He'd known Scourge for over two years now, and he had become of Humphrey's best friends aside from Salty, Shakey, and Mooch. His unwavering loyalty to Humphrey and his quest for retribution alone would prove to be Scourge's most valuable traits. Now, however, Humphrey was unsteady about the black-furred southern Beta wolf. The revelation that not only much of his pack had survived, but his mate had as well could prove to make Scourge a foe rather than a friend. His loyalties would be tested soon enough if they found her, and Scourge's true colors would be present. He didn't want to have to kill his friend, but if push came to shove…Humphrey was prepared to do so for the protection of his pack. These were dark days, there was no denying, and the final battle against Saren and the Markers would arrive soon.

Suddenly, with an abrupt gasp, Kala fell to the ground. Humphrey whirled around and dashed to her side. Faolan was nudging her side, saying her name, trying to get her to wake up, but she would not stir.

"What happened?" Humphrey demanded in a panic-stricken voice.

"I-I don't know!" Faolan stammered. "She just fell down!" Humphrey scented her and caught the heavy whiff of deathly sickness in her scent. Her breathing was shallow and irregular, her pulse slow and drool falling from her lips. Humphrey called over Lily frantically, the white-furred she-wolf glaring coldly at Kala. Kacey sprinted to her side and rolled her over, looking at the wound. It was bubbling and covered in thick, yellow pus. Kacey gasped and licked the side of her face, trying to wake her up to no avail.

"Please, Lily!" Humphrey pleaded, begging with his sister in law. "You have to help her!"

"Give me one good reason why I should," Lily spat. Kacey stood up and snarled viciously at Lily. She leapt at the white she-wolf and pinned her to the ground.

"She is my daughter you bitch!" Kacey roared ferociously. "She could die! I will not let my daughter die!"

"She isn't your daughter," Lily growled. Kacey looked as though she was ready to tear Lily's throat out. The air was still and heated with tension as they glared at each other, Humphrey nudging his daughter and licking her face, trying to make her wake up.

**Kala**

****Kala's mind was quite aware of what was going on around her despite her physical appearance not showing that she was. She was looking down at her body and the pack around her, watching as her stepmother snarled at her aunt-the very she-wolf that had once cared for her and loved her as though she was her own daughter. Kala's belly felt hollow, her being feeling weightless. She was floating high above them, most likely dead.

There was a bright, golden light that appeared from the side. She looked to her right and saw bending waves of light swarm around her and began to form into the beautiful apparition of her mother. Kate blinked her beautiful amber eyes and lighted down in front of Kala. She was still surprised and mystified to see the large wings protruding from her fore-shoulders, but Kate did not seem fazed by it in the least. They folded to her flank and began to dissipate as though they had never existed whatsoever. Kala's eyes widened in awe when she saw this and her mother giggled lightheartedly, nuzzling her daughter gently. Kala parted her jaws and inhaled the sweet scent of her mother, Kate grabbing hold of the flower behind Kala's ear and adjusting it slightly to give her a better appearance. The two pulled away gently and smiled at one another. Kate's ear pricked, and she looked to her left, Kala following her gaze. Kate looked at her daughter again and grinned, flicking her tail in a gesture to follow.

Light bent, and the world changed before her eyes, Kate walking ahead confidently as though she was perfectly accustomed to the sight-of course, as a Spirit Guide, she probably was. Small particles of light fluttered around Kala and began to shape and form into the apparitions of three young pups: Kala's stillborn siblings. They danced and yipped about around her, Kala laughing as they did so. One of them, a tawny male pup, leapt at her tail and bit it, hanging from her. Kala giggled and brought her tail to her shoulders, resting the young pup on her back and smiling at him. His eyes were a dark brown flecked with amber. A second, a young grey she-pup, leapt at Kala's paws and yipped at her delightedly. Her eyes were a bright, icy blue like her father's. Finally, the third had fur much like Kala's opposite: he was predominately dark, golden-tawny with a white chest, grey ears, and blended grey in his pelt. His eyes were a bright jade hue. She asked them what their names were, but they did not respond to her question as though they could not hear her. Kala looked at her mother and Kate smiled at her.

"They cannot see nor hear you," Kate explained to Kala telepathically. "They were dead upon birth, never able to see or hear. They can sense you, however, giving the illusion that they can do both. They have no names; they were never named, for they were all stillborn. You were the only one that survived, my sweet. Your father named you."

Kala nodded in understanding, pitying the unborn souls of the three pups that would never be named, never see, and never hear. It was a cruel, unfair fate that they suffered. Kala followed her mother as the pups clambered onto her back, looking about with their sightless eyes. Kala heard one of them yawn and rest its head in its paws as it rode on Kala's back. She smiled and looked back to see the three bundles of fur. She wondered what they would have been like had they been alive, had her mother survived…

The world continued to change with every pawstep until it melted into a frozen world surrounded by massive mountains that touched the stars themselves. White flakes fluttered down from the sky around them, landing on Kala's back and the pups, covering them in a light layer of snow. Kala had been here before-when Fenrir had saved her after being impaled by Saren's icicle. This was the heaven of the wolves, a spiritual depiction of the Winter Mountains. All year round, the Winter Mountains were covered in snow as well as the land around it, yet just beyond the small hills, the land transcended to an eternal summer, the mountains roamed by the direct descendants of the dire wolves, the Pack of the Winter Mountains. As legends foretold, they were a pack that accepted any wolf when he or she was in need and offered safe refuge in the ranks of their pack. This was why they sought for them; the Jasper wolves had lost their home and the Pack of the Winter Mountains was their only hope. Unfortunately, they did not believe Humphrey when he'd told them of what they had to do, and they were not in time to escape before the Great War that destroyed the land and killed over one hundred wolves. It was a terrible fate, but there was still the hope that they would all live and find the Winter Mountains, to be safe there for an eternity.

Why, however, had Kate taken her here? What had caused Kala to black out? She felt perfectly fine before-paw. Her shoulder stung and burned, certainly, but she didn't feel sick, lightheaded, or seem to have any other ailments aside from slight pain from the infected bite wound. She just…fell. It didn't make any sense to Kala as to why it happened. Then again, there was the possibility that her mother had caused it to deliberately speak with her daughter.

Kate led her into a solitary clearing in the forest, the golden sunlight shining beautifully on the snow surface. The pups scrambled off her back and joined Kate, all four of them staring at Kala. She felt a prickling on her neck, her guard hairs standing on end. She looked behind her and saw a shadowy version of the four sitting behind her in the forest, darkness swarming around them. Kala's blood went cold and her heart stopped when she saw them; it was not the first encounter she'd had with the dark apparitions. Kate barked and snapped Kala's attention back to her. She had warned Kala of the dark demon spirits that would try at any cost to haunt and steal her soul. Kala forced her breathing back down and stared at her mother and siblings, her true family, not the darkness behind her.

"My daughter," Kate said with a smile. "You have grown up so fast, love."

"Thank you, Mom," Kala replied with a sad smile. "It's been such a long time since I've seen you."

"Ah, but you have seen me every day," she said, her smile broadening. Kala tilted her head in curiosity. "Your sister, the daughter of Kacey: Lupus and Lupa have given me a second chance at life. Most of my spiritual conscience remains dormant while I inhabit the body of the pup, our minds and personalities conjoined into one. When your younger sister passes, our consciousnesses will separate and I will become my own entity once more. This is why I have not visited you as much as I would have enjoyed, daughter. It is…difficult to break out of my dormant hibernation while keeping so much of me in your sister."

Kala's eyes widened in shock and surprise from what Kate said. Kate nodded and brought her tail to her own mouth. She plucked a long stand of her fur from her tail and padded to Kala, wrapping it around Kala's paw. She smiled at her daughter.

"Give it to your father," she said. "For his bracelet. And tell him to travel north to the great river. There will be a train there, one that leads to the great northern land of the Winter Mountains. If he does not reach the train by the night with no moon, then he must turn back, for the Summer Solstice is when he must rendezvous with the army of Fenrir. Now return, Kala, to the land of the living. Darkness is ahead, and the moon shall continue to wane as the solstice approaches. I am so proud of you, my daughter. She padded to Kala and pressed her nose to Kala's, the world turning white around her.

Kala's eyes shot open and she felt herself lying on the ground. She groaned and lifted her head. Humphrey's face was buried in her neck fur, Faolan whimpering and pacing about in distress. Kala nuzzled her father and Humphrey's head shot back up in shock and surprise. Kala smiled, and Humphrey released a choked sob, nuzzling his daughter's face. Faolan rushed to her side and licked her face vigorously, his relief showing greatly. Kala laughed at the reactions of the two wolves and stood up, the pack's attention returning to her. Kacey left Lily and rushed to her stepdaughter, embracing her tightly, Kala returning the hug.

Finally, she looked back at her father and drew the strand of fur wrapped around her paw and presented it to Humphrey. Everyone stood rigid as they stared at the fur strand, knowing full well whom it had come from. Humphrey scented it cautiously and immediately, his eyes began to water, instantly recognizing the scent of his first mate. Kacey averted her gaze, jealous of his relationship with his dead mate. Kala wrapped the fur into his bracelet. It was made of twigs and reeds, three petals encased in tree sap embedded within it, safe from the ravages of time and age. A claw from Kacey was tucked into the bracelet, the fur of Kala wrapped around a side as well. Now, Kala wrapped the long tail fur of Kate around the bracelet, intertwining the hair with it and renewing the scent of Kate.

Humphrey looked at her, his eyes swimming in a sea of tears and nuzzled his daughter, a happy smile on his face. Kacey, however, had turned and padded to the fringes of the group. Kala was sad for her stepmother; she couldn't blame her for loving Humphrey so much that she became jealous when he still thought of his first mate, but Kala wished that she could understand his pain. He had to kill her for Lupus' sake! It was a tragedy what happened to Kate, but now Kala knew that Kate was not as dead as they'd all thought. She couldn't wait to tell her father the great news!

"BLACK BLOODS!" Salty howled from across the way. They darted their heads about in panic to see Salty rushing towards them over a small rise. Suddenly, over twenty, perhaps even thirty Black Blood wolves appeared in heated pursuit of the Omega. Kacey quickly grabbed Ryker and Luna, jerking her head to Kala for her to fetch Hannah. Kala nodded and grabbed the she-pup but was intercepted by Winston.

"I'll keep them safe!" He said. Kala nodded, and Winston gently took Kate by the scruff, jogging in the direction that Kacey had taken the other pups. The Black Blood wolves wasted no time in the attack. There was no momentary stalemate this time, for now, they had the upper paw. They attacked in droves, sending the weakest out first. Many of them were clearly Omega wolves prior to their conversion to Black Bloods and were easily taken care of. That was a mere nine wolves however. There were still at least twenty more to deal with, and they weren't pushovers like the previous Black Bloods that they'd encountered. They fought the Jasper wolves, and the Jasper wolves fought back.

Kala was unable to use her right leg as much as she wanted, for the wound on her shoulder was near-paralyzing. This, however, did not deter her from fighting like Fenrir in his prime. She blocked an oncoming blow from a Black Blood, grabbing hold of his paw in her fangs and jerking her head viciously to the side. There was a sickening snap and she felt the paw splay in her mouth, hot blood flowing out from the wound. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the bone protruding through leg. Giving one last sharp twist, she yanked the paw off. The Black Blood screamed in sheer agony, blood flying from the mutilated stump. Kala grabbed the Basilisk fang and stabbed him in the heart, the venom poisoning his bloodstream.

She stumbled a bit as a sharp, knotting pain etched into her shoulder. She looked back at it and seethed: blood and pus were oozing out of it slowly, scabs cracking and blistering across the fleshy wound. Deciding against close encounters that required overexerted use of her limbs, she instead ran about the battlefield, stabbing wolves with the Basilisk fang if they came within reach. Salty was fighting off wolves trying to get at Humphrey and Kacey, but one was sneaking up behind him.

Kala called out a warning bark, but it was too late. The green, poison-covered fangs of the Black Blood sank into Salty's neck. He let out a scream of pain that echoed through the field. Humphrey turned to see one of his closest friends fall, an anguished scream breaking his lips. Scourge rushed forward and tackled the wolf off Salty, tearing out his throat. Kala sprinted forward and stabbed another with the Basilisk fang, tearing it out of the wolf's neck and advancing on the other.

It bolted away, the Black Bloods all heading northeast of their position…and right towards Winston and the pups. Kala's eyes widened in horror and she chased them down. Lily and Garth bolted beside her, Kala once more drawing the Basilisk fang. She could see Winston snarl at the oncoming thirteen Black Bloods, but they bowled him over and bit him, scratching his flank. She could hear his agonized yelps as the Black Bloods advanced upon the pups. They almost reached them…until the Black Bloods picked them up and carried them away. Kala's mind screamed, and her vision turned red. No, she wouldn't allow the Black Bloods to win! NO!

But they were too fast, too strong…and they got away from her, the cries of the pups echoing over the planes. Kala collapsed, sobbing piteously as Garth and Lily looked on in horror as the pups were taken away. Kacey stumbled beside Kala, her eyes gaunt and hollow. The pups were gone…her pups were gone! She fainted beside Kala, a tear falling just before she hit the ground. Kala wailed in agony, Faolan hearing her cries and rushing beside her. He held his mate-to-be, trying his best to comfort her, but no words could consolidate the hurt she felt for what had transpired. She had failed her siblings…she had failed.

**Humphrey**

Humphrey shakily stumbled towards Salty. There was a massive, bloody gash on the left side of his neck running down to his shoulder. He could see shiny, slimy organs through the torn, bloodied flesh. The poison was working its way into his bodily systems no doubt, killing him from the inside. Humphrey collapsed next to his friend, Salty's eyes meeting his.

"H-h-h-hey, d-dude," Salty stammered. Humphrey forced a smile through the film of tears that clouded his vision.

"Hey, Salty," Humphrey murmured in reply. "What's up?

"N-not t-t-too much," Salty croaked. Each word and breath forced more blood out of the wound, pooling around him in the soft grass. "R-rough day, h-h-h-h-huh?"

"Yeah, lot of problems," Humphrey said.

"Hey, p-p-promise me some-something?" Salty sputtered, blood drooling from his lips. Humphrey nodded. "T-take a l-log sledding trip w-w-when this is all o-over. You know, f-for old t-times' s-s-sake?"

"No problem, buddy," Humphrey said, his forced smile turning to a frown as tears fell down his face. He let out a choked laugh. "Old times' sake? Damn, we sound like elders now." Salty laughed a bit as well, choking on clots of blood in his open throat.

"We do, d-dude; we d-do," He looked up at the sky, his body shaking and convulsing, blood gushing like a crimson torrent out of his neck. After a while, his shaking began to subside and he lie still.

"Salty?" Humphrey whispered, nudging his friend's bloodied face. "Salty, you still with me, dude? Salty?"

 ****A/N: Thanks to Dawn Walker Wolf, Crowwolf, imjustlikehumphrey, the dark shadow, Alexander, LilyAndMe, MoonTrekerAF, wizz713, and light555 for reviewing my last chapter. Until next time.****

 ****-The Dishonored Wolf****


	7. Brother Wolf

7\. Brother Wolf

Humphrey placed the last stone on top of the small mound covering Salty's body. He insisted that he required no assistance from the others that this was something he was to do alone. Respectfully, the other wolves watched from afar as he miserably buried his best friend. When he'd heard the news of his pups, he had only fallen into a deeper depression of mournful sadness, his mind shutting down completely. They were his pups, his kin, his blood, and now they were gone. Matters weren't made better knowing that Kate was amongst them. Kacey's heart was heavy with pain; tears refused to flow down her face and she knew with utmost certainty that unless she saw all pups home safely, she would be dead inside. Everyone, even Taylor and Kerrigan, were taking the attack hard. Not only had they lost a wolf, but all the pups had been taken away from them. It didn't matter whose pups they were; when any pup was harmed, or pupknapped, all wolves took it hard. It was instinct to protect and provide for pups at all times, and for this to happen…it left the pack defeated in a way that they had not experienced since the destruction of their homes.

No one took it harder than Kala. She blamed herself for letting the Black Bloods escape with the pups, despite it not being her fault in any way. Trying to consolidate her newfound friend, Kerrigan approached her to make her see reason that it wasn't her fault. Not even Kerrigan's kind, comfort-intending words could help Kala, though. She felt a deep pit in her belly for the loss of the pups, her memories haunted by their screams for help. She heard them cry for their mother, for their father, for her. How could she not place blame upon herself for letting them take the pups? She was right there-she was right fucking there! Winston, too, was taking it hard. He'd sworn to protect the wolves but understood that there was no way he could have saved them against that many wolves, not by himself. Kala looked north where the Black Bloods had fled with the pups, her eyes watering and full of pain.

Humphrey stood back from his work and dipped his head to his friend, then brought it back up in a mournful howl. For hours, he'd laid next to Salty's bloodied corpse, hoping beyond hope that he'd wake up, that he'd be okay and ready to continue their journey. Alas, the poison coated fangs of the Black Blood wolf had done their work. He had died next to his best friend. Humphrey wept for him-first Shakey was killed by a Mad Wolf, then Mooch to a Longfang, Kate to Humphrey's own fangs, Sweets to the necromorphs, and now Salty to crazed, fanatical wolves under Saren's rule. His pups were gone, pupknapped by the Black Bloods. Kacey was a shadow of the she-wolf she used to be, her heart shattered with the loss of their pups. Unless they came back, she was as good as dead. Kala blamed herself and wouldn't stop crying, unable to speak with anyone, and now Humphrey himself had become antisocial. He'd lost everyone and everything he held dear to him. What else was going to happen?

He ended the mournful howl and let tears flow down his face and patter on to the ground. Rain began to fall from the dark clouds above and soak the earth, his tears mingling with them. Scourge began to usher the rest of the wolves towards cover. Winston, however, padded to Humphrey, standing several wolflengths from him as he stared, haunted, at Salty's grave. He patiently waited for Humphrey to say something, hoping beyond hope that his son-in-law would speak to him again. They hadn't talked as father to son in years-not since before the Great War…before Kate…

Walking forward, he slowly sat down next to Humphrey, the rain drenching their fur coats as it began to peak in its ferocity, the wind wailing and the lightning illuminating the skies above. He looked at Humphrey, his ice blue eyes staring absently at the grave, as though he was no longer consciously aware of where he was or what he was doing. He nudged Humphrey, the Leader Wolf looking at the elder slowly. He saw the terrible, insatiable pain in his eyes: the heartbreak, the loss, the hurt. He'd lost everyone and everything save for his daughter and new mate, and at the rate they were going at, it could very well be true that even they'd pass into the ranks of Lupus and Lupa. Winston pressed his nose to Humphrey's forehead and tried to calm him down, to offer some kind of condolence to him through this time of pain and suffering. Humphrey began to sob uncontrollably then, falling to his belly and covering his eyes with a paw. Winston looked sorrowfully at his son-in-law, pitying the poor wolf. Why did fate have to condemn him to this? What had he ever done that condemned him to this terrible destiny of pain and suffering? He was a good wolf, the most remarkable that Winston had ever seen, yet he was forced to see his friends and family torn away from him at every turn. When would this ever end? Humphrey looked at Winston, his blue eyes swimming in tears.

"She was alive, Dad," Humphrey croaked. Winston tilted his head in confusion. Who was alive? What was Humphrey talking about? "Kate; she was given a second chance. When Kacey named our pup after her, Lupus and Lupa allowed her to conjoin her mind with our daughter. She was alive, Winston. She was alive, and I failed her again."

He looked at the wolf in shock, dumbfounded by what he'd heard. How could it be? Yet he saw the truth in Humphrey's eyes-Winston's daughter had been reborn, given a second chance at life. Humphrey blamed himself for what happened, believing that he'd let down his mate again, letting himself down even more so. Winston began to let tears fall as well, realizing that Kate was alive and again, her life had been cut short. Winston grabbed Humphrey's scruff and yanked him to his paws.

"We need you, son," Winston rasped. "We need to find the Winter Mountains or we're all fucked. Come on; let's go find Scourge. You must let go, son. You have to let go." Humphrey shook his head, trying to cease the flow of tears as he followed Winston in the direction that Scourge had led the others.

**Kate**

The dark-furred eye-cut bad wolves took them away. Winston tried his best to fend them off, but there were too many of them, and before Kate knew it, she, her brother, and her sister had been taken away. They had cried and wailed for Humphrey, Kacey, Kala, everyone that they knew for help, but their parents and sister were the names that they cried for the most. They always sought them out for comfort and to play with them in the past-they were their immediate family, so wouldn't they come to save them? They tried; oh, they had tried. They chased the bad wolves for miles, but they were too fast, outrunning the Family Pack before they could reach them. It was horrible what the bad wolves did to them. They tossed them about, jeering at their yelping and their distress, laughing irrevocably at their agony at being taken away from their family. What kind of sick, twisted, horrible wolves were these? Who would do this to pups? They stopped to rest and catch prey, slamming the pups to the ground. Ryker cut his face on a sharp rock, weeping as blood seeped out of the wound.

Kate and Luna huddled close to him, trying to comfort him as well as themselves. The only good thing that came out of the pupknapping was that they'd been kept together. The least they were allowed was the ability to stay together. They were not allowed to have any share of the prey that the bad wolves caught, the pups' bellies growling in hunger. They picked them up again and began their long run to the Lupus-knows-where. A large, ominous, black mountain came into view, an odd, coiling rock with two pointed prongs pointing to the sky beginning to protrude from its peak. Symbols were etched into its surface, an eerie blue glow emanating from its black surface. Four stone claws protruded from the mountain around the rock structure. It looked almost exactly like the rock thing they saw at the Jagged Ice Mountain, the thing that made the monsters that killed all of the Jagged Ice wolves…

The bad wolves dropped the pups in a stone clearing. Steam leaked through cracks in the rock. They looked around fearfully, for thousands of the bad wolves surrounded them, laughing at them. A large rocky outcropping jutting from the mountain allowed another black wolf to emerge. He had jade green eyes and white markings across the fur like their elder sister, but there were claw marks across his body. The bad wolves silenced and bowed down to him as he approached, his eyes scanning the pup coldly. They remembered this wolf; how could they forget the story of how he'd stabbed and almost killed Kala? Saren padded forward, looking down at them. Behind him walked a she-wolf with dark brown fur and a hulking, black wolf with scars running down his eyes. The she-wolf looked at the pups in shock, Saren and the other wolf looking at them in jeering disgust.

"You have brought me the son and daughters of my enemy," Saren mused, looking them over. One of the bad wolves that had taken them replied to Saren.

"Yes, lord," he responded humbly. "They will not attack with fear that we will kill the pups." When they heard 'kill the pups,' Kate, Luna, and Ryker pressed against one another fearfully. Saren looked at the small scraps of fur, sneering.

A long silence lapsed as they watched, waiting for Saren to say something. The pups held to the feeble hope that he'd let them go.

"John," he said. "Kill the male." The hulking black wolf with scars over his eyes licked his lips and pounced, grabbing Ryker by the neck. He wailed, Luna and Kate screaming and trying to reach for him, but wolves held them down from behind. John shook his head vigorously, sinking his fangs into Ryker's neck. Finally, he jerked his head and they heard the sickening snap of Ryker's neck. His eyes rolled back in his head and his body fell limp in John's jaws.

Kate and Luna began to cry, their hearts torn as they watched John throw the corpse of their younger brother at the ground in front of them. He was so silent and shy, yet loved to have fun with his sisters and would, on occasion, mimic Scourge and even make the cold, solitary friend of their father smile and laugh. Now he was dead, murdered by the evil jaws of Saren's follower, John. Saren motioned for John to grab the wolf he'd talked to about the pups.

Fearfully, the wolf tried to bolt away, but John grabbed his scruff and dragged him back in front of Saren. He looked down at the bad wolf that pupknapped them and seethed. The wolf shook uncontrollably in fear, looking at the very face of evil and death.

"No, they will not attack," Saren said, drawing a large fang from his necklace around his neck-it looked just like the fang that Kala carried. He drew it across the wolf's neck. "Because we will kill the pups and destroy them. They will not attack because while they are few, we are thousands. They will not attack, because we only keep the strong in my army. The strong would have slaughtered these pups, yet you let them live. You must die, Loke." With that, he ripped open the throat of the wolf with the Big Snake fang, his blood splashing onto the ground. He flopped down in the pool of his own blood, Kate and Luna sickened and distressed. Saren looked at the she-wolf and gestured to the she-pups. She nodded solemnly and padded over to the fearful pups.

"Come with me, pups," she whispered caringly. "I will get you some food and take you to my den. I am sorry for your brother." They nodded, shaking, and allowed themselves to follow her. She led them away from the pups as the wolves began to advance in on the two corpses…and eat the wolf Loke, Saren giving Ryker's body to John, telling him to deliver it to their family.

The she-wolf ushered them into a small fern den and looked at them softly.

"I won't let Saren hurt you two," she promised them. "I'm tired of seeing so much death by his claws."

"W-who are you?" Kate peeped.

"My name is Collette," she replied. "I believe you know my mate, Nicholas."

**Kala**

Kala woke with a strangled cry in the darkness of the cave Scourge had found. It had stopped raining, and luckily her scream had not woken any of the wolves around her. She had finally sobbed herself to sleep, but she was plagued with horrific nightmares, one of which were Kate was torn to hundreds of bloody scraps and pieces. Kala stood up and walked out of the cave, heading north. She didn't care about the presence of the two she-wolves following her.

Lily and Kerrigan were intent on making Kala stay, for they had both heard her and weren't keen on letting her leave on a suicide mission. Kerrigan thought of Kala as a friend now, and she didn't want to see any more wolves die, especially not friends or family. Lily did not truly know why she followed Kala; she had been annoyed more than anything when she'd been awoken by her scream. Everyone else must have been so exhausted that her scream could not wake them.

"Just where do you think you're going?" Lily demanded grumpily.

"I'm finding those Black Bloods," Kala growled defiantly. "And I'm bringing my brother and sisters back home. Don't bother trying to stop me."

"Who ever said anything about stopping you?" Kerrigan asked. Kala stopped and looked at her with a questioning look. "I want to get payback for what they did to Owllyker. One wolf isn't enough bloodshed for what they took away from me."

"Aunt Lily?" Kala asked the white-furred she-wolf. She stood for a moment, considering her response to her niece.

"I don't care whose pups are gone," she replied. "I already lost one, and for that, Kala Star Wolf, one day you'll pay. But I don't want to see any pups die. I'm coming with you." Kala nodded, grateful that the two she-wolves understood.

"Let's go," she said. They nodded and followed Kala, running north toward the pups, the thousands of Black Bloods, Saren…and the Blue Marker.

 ****A/N: Thanks to Alexander, Dawn Walker Wolf, The-crazy-lone-wolf77, Crowwolf, wizz713, and LilyAndMe for reviewing my last chapter. Until next time.****

 ****-The Dishonored Wolf****


	8. A Glimmer of Light, A Glimmer of Hope

8\. A Glimmer of Light, A Glimmer of Hope

Collette padded back to the fern den and found the two sisters curled up tightly together, their tails tucked tightly and their small bodies still shaking. Tear marks ran down their faces after witnessing their younger brother die. She was shocked and disgusted that Saren ordered Ryker's death. Ever since the Southern Pack had been destroyed, they'd been on the run. It was merely a matter of hours after the shockwave of the Red Marker that Saren found them and took them. He took a particular interest to Collette, though she knew that he was trouble from the beginning, but the others didn't listen. They saw John as more of a leader and followed him-unfortunately, he wasn't the most intelligent of the pack and chose to side with Saren's army. She had despised him for years after what had happened and did her best to banish him, but the other wolves were too intimidated and terrified of him to so much as lift a claw against John. She couldn't banish him, so she ordered him to stay far away from her, an order of which he refused to follow. He never touched her, but he was a dim-witted wolf. He believed them to be mates despite the ceremony with Nicholas. She told him in no uncertain terms that they had mated, and it was the worst possible decision of her life, but that they were not and never would be mates. This was a concept that he-for whatever reason that he either would not or could not name-could not seem to understand no matter how many times she told him so.

Since the fall of the South, she had never stopped hoping she'd see Nicholas again, regretting banishing him and everything she'd said to him and about him, everything she'd done to him and had done to him for brutal, terrible punishment. He had never done anything wrong and she'd cast him out; what kind of horrible mate was she to do that? She feared that he had been hurt or killed in the attack that fateful day, but Nicholas was a survivor; if they could survive a direct attack at their own home, then it was undoubtedly true that he had survived from his place in the hills. Then again…she could have driven him to suicide by what she'd said to him. If that were true, then she would bear the burden of his death for the rest of her life. There was also, however, the sense that he was not dead-at least, not yet. She felt, for some odd reason, that she'd know if he was dead or not, and she knew with utmost certainty that he was still alive, still somewhere out there.

She heard a rustling from behind her and scented John. She closed her eyes and gritted her teeth. He pressed his nose to her flank and ran his chin over her back. She growled at him, the she-pups waking and slinking further back, especially when they saw the murderer of their brother. She pulled away and stood between him and the pups, glaring at him until he left furiously. He was tired of her refusal of his demonic affection, just as she was sick of the demonic affection in general. She turned to Kate and Luna, the two pups holding each other tightly in fear, tears falling, believing that they, like Ryker, would die. Despite what Collette had told them, they didn't believe that she'd protect her. She couldn't blame them; after all, she was with the Black Bloods and they'd just murdered their brother. Still, she meant every word to them. She'd seen too much death from the corrupt Black Blood wolves and Saren himself to like them in any way.

Padding out of the fern den, she sat on a rocky ledge and closed her eyes, scenting the air. Despite the demonic, evil air of the mountain cast by Saren's Blue Marker, the cool, crisp air felt good against her fur. For a while, she lost herself in the luxury of the wind, wishing-not for the first time-that she could fly away like a joyful bird, to take the pups back to their mother and father, to warn them of Saren and the Markers, of his army that he'd gathered. She looked down at her paws, at the faded marks that Saren had placed on them-the depiction of fangs whereas his Spirit Markings were claws. He wanted to make her his mate despite her consistent refusals. She had vigorously tried to cover them up but could not despite her attempts. Instead, she covered herself in black ochre, hoping that that would be enough to remove any trace of Saren's so-called 'Spirit Markings.' She despised everything he and the Black Bloods stood for, but fear of death at their paws kept her there.

Still she cursed herself, knowing that the fear of the necromorph infection would be worse if they activated the Blue, Grey, or even the Black Markers. Saren had been furious upon learning that the Green Marker had been destroyed and, in a fit of insatiable rage, killed nineteen Black Bloods by himself. They had even tried to fight back, but they were no match for him. The ones that came too close were immediately stabbed with his Basilisk fang, poisoned to death immediately upon contact with the venom-coated death tool.

She heard a scream from behind her and looked back at the fern den to see that someone had forced their way in when she wasn't looking. She dashed in to see Kate crying intensely, huddled in a corner, staring ahead. Collette followed her gaze and gasped to see John raping Luna, the small she-pup crying and wailing for help. Collette snarled and tackled John off of her, throwing him to the side. Luna collapsed to the ground, sputtering and whimpering in pain from what had occurred to her. John glared at her and Collette snarled as Kate approached Luna.

"Get out!" Collette roared. John glared at her and wordlessly stalked out of the den. Kate crawled over to Luna and wrapped an arm around her, the two sobbing uncontrollably. Collette lied down beside them and wrapped her tail around the she-pups, nuzzling them. Her pups had been miscarriages, so she did not fully know how to care for these two. Perhaps, she thought. This is my chance to do something motherly for these two. It was a horrible act for John to do that to Luna, especially when she was only a young pup. She licked her fur back, grooming her and trying to get rid of the scent of the forced mating. Luckily, she did not scent any semen, so he had not had the chance to become tied with her. She did, however, smell the tangy scent of blood. She turned the she-pup over and found that her she-wolfhood was bleeding slightly, most likely from the forced entry and young age. Wolves were not supposed to be able to mate unless it was close to or directly near the spring moons, and pups were certainly not supposed to until they reached at least a year of age.

She licked the blood away and pulled the she-pups close. Soon, she would talk to Saren about controlling that monstrous abomination of a wolf, and she would not under any circumstances let the she-pups out of her sight. She would protect them, and she would not allow anything bad to happen to them.

**Scourge**

He had been annoyed when he noticed the absence of the three she-wolves in the morning. He was supposed to know where all wolves were going, and if not him, Humphrey, Winston, or Garth. Now Kala, Lily, and Kerrigan were gone, and he had not a clue as to where they had left to. His annoyance turned to anger when he looked around the area for the, only to see that their scent all but vanished from the light morning rain.

He fetched Humphrey and together, they searched the hills and planes for the she-wolves. Scourge continuously felt like he was being watched, though Humphrey did not share the same thoughts. Scourge scented the air and began to pick up a foul scent, one that seemed vaguely familiar yet entirely alien to him. It didn't make any sense to him, not at all! Suddenly, he scented another smell: blood, and Humphrey scented it too.

The two darted in the direction of the smell and saw over the rises a Black Blood wolf. From afar, even Scourge could tell instantly that it was unmistakably John. He had something in his jaws, dangling limply. Perhaps a large rabbit or hare that he'd caught on the planes. They snarled and sprinted forward, intent on getting answers as to where the pups were, and then reaping vengeance upon the evil wolf. He tossed the thing he was holding in his jaws on the ground ahead and raced forward. By this time, Kacey-who was waiting for a sign that their pups might have returned-had joined them. They raced forward, stopping at the thing he'd thrown to the ground. Humphrey fell to the ground, his eyes watering and jaw dropping. Kacey screamed in anguish, howling her agony to the sky. Humphrey prodded the small body of the dead pup, hoping that he'd come back, but the body did not move. It was as cold as the heart of the Black Bloods, still as the earth, and silent as a hawk.

Scourge stalked away in blind fury, padding back to the place where the rest of the wolves were. They had begun to gather out of the den and looked at him curiously, asking him what all of the commotion was about. Scourge looked at them with pain-filled eyes.

"They killed Ryker," he spat bitterly. They looked down mournfully, disbelieving that they'd lost such a friendly, wholesome pup. They'd all loved and enjoyed Ryker's company, and now he was dead, gone forever by the evil paws of Saren's Black Blood wolves. "And Kala, Lily and Kerrigan; we can't find them."

 ****A/N: Yeah, I know, short chapter, but that's because next chapter is going to be pretty long and eventful, might not update until Friday or Saturday. Thanks to Dawn Walker Wolf, Alexander, imjustlikehumphrey, and the dark shadow for reviewing my last chapters. Until next time.****

 ****-The Dishonored Wolf****


	9. Indoctrination

9\. Indoctrination

Kala could not seem to get her mind off the pups. Of course, it shouldn't have surprised her; after all, that was the whole reason that they had traveled north away from the rest of the pack anyway-to find the pups. They all had different reason for trying to find them, but they all shared the same, common goal. Kala had named one of the pups, Scourge had befriended another, and her mother's spirit had melded with the third. There was no way she was going to let anything happen to those three pups, and she would see to it that they were all returned home safely. She regretted not telling Humphrey, Scourge, Kacey, or anyone else where she was going, but then again, neither Kacey nor Kerrigan had told anyone where they were going.

They had been traveling for hours, but they discovered within minutes of their departure that they were not alone, for three eyes were watching them from above: Marcel and Iris. Of course, Marcel was smart enough to try using the art of stealth to track them and figure out what they were doing. Iris, however, wasn't quite as intelligent as Marcel or any other species for that matter. She flew down in front of them and immediately proceeded to pestering them with questions. When Kala finally snarled at her and said they were looking for the pups, she squawked repeatedly, waving her wings and crying out to the rest of the wolves over two miles away that they were leaving for the pups. Kala slammed her to the ground and covered her beak, Iris' words muffled as she tried to warn the others.

"Iris, I know that you're my friend," Kala said sweetly until her tone took a more demonic, evil tone. "But I swear upon the breath of Lupus and Lupa themselves that I will eat you if you don't shut up. Now, do we have an understanding?" Iris looked at her with her one eye and blinked, slowly nodding her head and giving a muffled comply. Kala let her go and the pintail gasped for breath.

"You naughty-naughty-naughty bad missy miss –miss wolf, Kala!" Iris cried. "What if your big-serious-no-fun-ever big-bad-dad found out about this, hmm?"

"He won't," Kala growled, walking past her, Lily and Kerrigan following. "Because he'll be too busy thanking me when I come back with the pups."

"But mademoiselle!" Marcel cried, fluttering down in front of her, the old goose heaving from the exhaustion of so much flying. "You do not know where the Black Blood wolves took them, and even though you can fight, you still do not have the numbers that they have; you would be killed by them if you got anywhere near them!"

"You followed us Marcel," Kala growled, glaring at him. "So, you're part of this mission, too. I need you to go in the direction of the pups, find out where they were taken. Iris, you're going to stay in the vicinity of us and make sure we don't walk into any unexpected surprises. Do you two understand?"

"Ah, um," Marcel speculated, not very intent on doing as Kala wanted. She pressed her paw against his foot and poked him with her claws, his eyes looking up at her, bulging in fear. She bore her fangs and he gulped. "Will do mademoiselle Kala!" He cried. Kala took her paw from his foot and the two birds flew high above in the directions that Kala had instructed. Lily grunted, receiving a look from Kala.

"My mother was like that," she mused. "It was a trait that passed to my sister. Obviously, she seemed to have passed it on to you as well." Kala nodded, and the three she-wolves walked forward, continuing their journey.

Kala looked skyward at the sun, angling its trajectory and angle. They had less than three weeks before the Summer Solstice. If they were going to find the pups, there was a very good chance that they would be sacrificing the search for the Winter Mountains for their lives. Kala knew it was worth the risk to save her young siblings, but what of the wellbeing of the rest of the pack? Lily and Garth had not had the ability to live out full lives yet. Winston was old and deserved rest for once, not the constant travel and battles that they faced nowadays. Taylor and Kerrigan had lost everything; why not allow them to have some peace? Most of all, Humphrey and Kacey deserved the chance to settle down. Kala had only known her father to be the distanced leader of the Jasper survivors. She had never had the chance to have the life he and Kala's birth mother had originally dreamt about. Had he not earned a rightful rest?

They would not, however, have a decent rest, however. Not when they knew that their three pups were missing, taken by the cold-hearted clutches of the Black Blood pack. It was cruel that they were to have been faced with such a horrible fate to lose their pups; Kala couldn't even begin to imagine what it must have been like for them to experience such agonizing loss. That, she supposed, was one of the reasons that she chose to leave and find them. She was tired of seeing her family suffer and she wanted to be the hero that saved her family from the warm kindness of her heart.

"Kerrigan," Kala said, looking at the white-furred she-wolf. She inspected the red marks around her eyes, observing fading designs of what she supposed was red ochre. She had only seen the Jagged Ice wolves do this with their Spirit Markings, both of which Kala and Faolan bore on their fur pelts. The Jagged Ice Pack was corrupted, however; she had to be sure that Kerrigan and Taylor could be trusted. The she-wolf looked at her expectantly. "Those marks on your eyes-what are they for?"

"The War-Eye Clan," Kerrigan explained thoughtfully. "Believed in the ancient teachings and rituals of Fenrisúlfur and her great and powerful mate, Fenrir; they would christen the wolves that devoted their lives to following great Lupus and Lupa with the Spirit Markings that represented many things, such as their names, birth places, physical appearances, and so forth. My Spirit Markings represent my blind mother, and my perseverance to see. Taylor's represent how, as a pup, he had confronted a badger when his parents were out on a hunt. He has a…dark past." Kerrigan ended that with a somber note, Kala looking at her inquisitively. What was his dark past?

"He was raised with his younger brother, Caldor, in a different pack. His mother was a cold-hearted witch that wanted nothing to do with her pups, even driving her mate away after physically wounding him many times. He was said to have bled to death afterward. They were beaten and abused for years until one day, Taylor found that his mother had killed Caldor-she had snapped his neck in a fit of insatiable rage…"

"CALDOR!" Taylor cried. He rushed to his brother's side, nudging him. His mother stood several wolflengths away, glaring at the two young wolves. His head was bent at an unnatural angle, blood dripping from his lips. Taylor began to cry, knowing that, despite his brother's open eyes, he would never wake again. The deranged she-wolf began to snarl at Taylor and knocked him down, punching his muzzle until she heard a quite-audible crack.

Taylor sobbed and looked at his mother through his tears. She screamed at him, telling him how worthless he was. Foam flecked her muzzle and her eyes began to jitter. He looked down at her paws-they were splayed. All three pieces of evidence led to the fact that she was Mad Wolf. Her words began to sound less audible, less recognizable. They were now only incoherent, venomous, feral snarls. Her eyes darted about until she saw Caldor again. She did not hesitate a heartbeat, immediately tearing into his younger brother's flank, eating him. Taylor had always been the weaker of the two, but now was the time to fight back. Now was the time to reap vengeance upon what his mother had done to him.

He rushed forward with a scream and locked his jaws around her neck. She struggled, scratching and cutting him with her claws, but he bit down harder and harder, blood spurting as he tore away her Life Blood. Finally, her body slackened as the blood loss tore her life away, just as she tore away Caldor's. He let her lifeless corpse slump to the ground and Taylor wailed in eternal agony, the darkness crawling in around him.

"Then what happened?" Kala asked, petrified with what Kerrigan had told her.

"He wandered for many moons," she replied. "He eventually found War-Eye, though not many of the wolves trusted him after learning of what he'd done to his mother. One wolf, however, Robert, trained him and accepted him as a brother. It hit Taylor hard when he learned that he'd died in the attack as well."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Kala said sympathetically. "Taylor seems to be a good wolf."

"He is," Kerrigan said wistfully. Speaking of him brought a slight glimmer to her eye, though Kala could not fully understand why. Kerrigan laughed lightheartedly. "He denies it all the time, but I know he has feelings for me. I can see it in the way that he talks, the way he acts, the way he shows affection toward me."

"What will you do about it?"

"Nothing," she replied. "Not yet."

**Luna**

The small she-pup walked closely beside Kate, the two young sisters following Collette closely as she led the way to Saren's den near the peak of the mountain, close to the Blue Marker. Its demonic radiance was near blinding when looked at directly. It was dim yet bright, a concept that they found increasingly difficult to understand. Demon spirits whispered to them as they neared the horrible monster-creator, Kate and Luna's eyes darting frantically, expecting a necromorph to appear at any moment. They knew not why Collette was taking them to Saren, but they knew she was not happy. Her jaw was firmly set, her eyes hard and glaring as they neared Saren's dark abode. As they padded upward, Luna caught sight of John, the black-furred wolf glaring malevolently at her. Luna whimpered and hid underneath Collette's legs. The she-wolf looked at Luna's shaking form and saw what scared her so, Collette glaring coldly at John until he walked away. She looked at Luna softly and nuzzled the she-pup's face gently, trying to consolidate and reassure the pup.

"Don't worry, young pup," she whispered. "I won't let anything happen to you. Do you trust me?"

"No," she whimpered. "I mean, well, I don't know…" Collette looked at her kindly. How could she ever think that the pups would trust her fully? It was not as though she did not already bear the ochre-died black-fur and Spirit Markings that Saren had placed on her. It wasn't as though they could ignore the forcefully inflicted scars that ran down her eyes that identified her as part of the Black Blood allegiance to Saren. None of those facts could be ignored; she was condemned to a dark fate of being deemed a Black Blood, despite her hatred towards the organization and its purpose.

Nevertheless, she ushered the pups forward into the dark den, leading the way forward. The cool rock walls were coated in subterranean water that traveled through the recesses of the mountain until it reached the core. The den led to a series of tunnel networks that led to the main Marker chamber. They circled around the chamber, surprised by how similar it was to the Red Marker chamber in the Jagged Ice Mountain. Luna looked around fearfully, Kate pressing her body to hers in comfort. The first Marker was already enough; now they had to face another? The monsters had even killed poor Sweets for Lupus' sake! Thinking of Sweets made Luna think of Salty. She'd seen him fall, but was he going to be okay? She hoped so; she didn't like to see wolves die.

They circled the chamber until they reached the main level where the Marker pedestal was located. Black Bloods were working on a wall that had caved in on itself, Saren looking at the Marker. Collette cleared her throat and bowed down to Saren, gesturing for the pups to follow suite. They did as they were told until Saren was finished examining the Marker. When he turned, Luna was shocked and horrified to see that his eyes were a dark blue, no longer the green that they used to be. Was this what the Marker did to a wolf?

"Indoctrination," Saren rasped, his voice no longer that of the Leader Wolf that had, at a time, looked up to and called a friend to the Jasper wolves. "There is nothing truly as remarkable as its effect on life. The Marker has made me see; opened my eyes to new possibilities, a new world where transcendence by will of the holy necromorphs shall unfold before us! Do you wish to commit your lives to its power, young pups?"

Collette's head shot up in terror and she stood between Saren and the pups, Luna and Kate shuddering in horror. They didn't want anything to do with that horrible Marker!

"That is not why we're here, Saren!" Collette protested. "I have come to discuss John's atrocious actions!"

"What actions?" Saren asked her, suddenly curious as to what Collette had to say.

"He raped Luna Small Fangs," she growled. Luna looked at Kate questioningly. 'Small Fangs?' "I have no doubts that he would have done the same with Kate Small Fangs as well." Saren looked at her, considering Collette's words.

"I shall speak with John," he replied. "The ravaging of a pup is not what we stand for."

"Yet the murder of another innocent pup is?" Collette spat. "John should be exiled for following that order! He should be killed for what he did to Luna Small Fangs!"

"I do sincerely regret using their brother as an example," Saren said truthfully. Luna and Kate looked at each other, shocked to hear the truth and sincere regret in his tone of voice and his eyes. "We do not stand for the murder of innocents. If I could take back what I did, I would in a heartbeat." He walked past Collette and looked at the pups kindly. "I am sorry for your pain and distress, young pups." He murmured. He pressed his nose to their foreheads and whispered something in the language of the Ancients, something that sounded familiar yet completely alien to them despite the unfamiliarity with the words he spoke. He nodded to Collette. "I will speak with him; I give you my word."

Collette nodded and beckoned to the pups to follow her out of the Marker Chamber. The Black Bloods continued their work at clearing out the rubble to allow the Marker to rise again, though it would be many weeks before they could do it, possibly another moon.

Collette looked back at the pups sympathetically as they walked back.

"I do not necessarily agree with what he believes," she told them. "Nor do I wish to be part of the Black Bloods. But Saren has his moments of kindness, when the real him shows through. He isn't evil; at least, not fully. I have hope that perhaps one day, he will turn, that he will see reason and regret his former acts." With that, they continued until they reached the fern den, the three wolves lying down for the night. Luna, however, could not sleep, her paranoia peaking, as she feared that John would come back for her.

Shaking her head vigorously, she walked out of the fern den and sat on the ledge overlooking the land before the dark mountain. The cool air blew against her, Luna relishing in the feeling. Her thoughts wandered back to what Collette had told her: He isn't evil; at least, not fully. Was it true that Saren wasn't all that bad? In truth, all he wanted was safety and glory for wolf-kind. Was it so terrible that he wanted what was best for his species, even if it wasn't the best thing to do?

Then she began to think hard about the necromorphs and the Markers themselves. What if they weren't a bad idea? What if turning wolves into necromorphs really was the next stage in the evolutionary cycle for wolves? What if, by killing the necromorphs, they had only succeeded in killing their own friends? They had been terrified by the look of the necromorphs; what if all they were doing was helping them transcend, trying to make them become the best that they could be? Was it all that bad to be a necromorph? For all that Luna knew, the necromorphs could have simply changed in appearance. The blade-arms protruding from the shoulders certainly looked lethal; could it simply be that evolution deemed them a less-appealing appearance in the sake of becoming better?

It didn't seem so bad that all Saren wanted was to make wolves better than before, and if necromorphs were the way to become better, would that not be a preferable way to do just as he wanted? Curious now, she walked silently to Saren's den deep in the mountain, following the path that they had gone to originally to find Saren. The blue light of the Marker no longer seemed so bright and forbidding; now, it seemed so welcoming, so…so free. The chamber seemed completely vacant of life, Luna walking forward until she could see the pedestal that the Marker rested on. She padded onward to its surface. Cautiously, she placed a paw on the Marker, letting its power flow through her. She sensed a presence from within it and pressed her nose to its surface.

"Incredible, isn't it?" A voice said. She leapt away, startled, and saw Saren approaching her. He smiled and nuzzled her gently. Luna was surprised by his initial affection and looked at him curiously. "Tell me, Luna Small Fangs; do you know what indoctrination is?" She shook her head and he laughed lightheartedly. This was supposed to be their evil enemy? Luna surely could not see what was wrong with him. "Indoctrination is the possessing of a mind, something that the Marker does to its followers. It spreads glorious light into the minds of those that are indoctrinated, and it appears that you have seen this light. Is that true?"

"Well," she said thoughtfully. "I used to think the Marker was bad, and that it made evil monsters. Now I'm not so sure it's a bad thing."

"Splendid!" Saren exclaimed. "I am most pleased that you see it from my eyes. Necromorph form is our next stage in evolution! With the help of the Marker, we shall retake our lost lands! Overthrow the humans and reign supreme as the dominant species in the world once more!"

"So, we could go back to Jasper Park again?" Luna asked him. Saren smiled and licked her forehead.

"Of course, you could," he told her gently. "As a necromorph, nothing would stop you from doing as you pleased. Returning to the home of your blood would be one of many things that you would be able to do, Luna Small Fangs. Now, I don't think I received an answer from you earlier: do you, Luna Small Fangs, wish to commit your life to the power and divinity of our Marker?" Luna considered for a long time. Did she want to go against her family, her friends, and her allies? Then, she realized that she could turn them to her side, to see the Marker as being good as well. Oh, it would be great! They could all be happy again!

"Yes," she said, bowing to Saren. "I commit my life to the Markers."

"Then I now proclaim you as Black Blood," Saren said. He led her to the Marker and pressed her nose to its surface. After several minutes, he spoke to her once more. "Rise, Luna Black Blood." She did so and turned to him, opening her eyes. They were now a dark blue.

**Kate**

Kate was a rambunctious she-pup and was-to her parents' distress-quite a rule-breaker. She was told that she had to be a 'good young Alpha' all the time, but never took head to those words. She didn't even know what an Alpha was! Her father was out with a hunting group and her mother was too busy tending to a small cut that Lily received on her paw to notice Kate sneak out of the den.

Pups were strictly forbidden to exit their parents' den until they were one moon of age, and they were only allowed to do so with a parent to watch over them. It was when they reached the age of three moons that they were permitted outside. Kate, however, wanted to be the first pup to explore the forest alone, despite the Laws of the Pack.

She bounded through the forest, adventuring through the undergrowth and chasing butterflies and other small bugs. The scents of the forest overwhelmed her. He had never thought that so many smells could exist at once; then again, she didn't know what existed beyond her own den. She was, after all, only thirty days old. She ran into a small clearing and found a lone grey pup looking around. There was something different about the pup; it seemed to be more sturdily built, its face more angular like her father's.

This is one odd pup, she thought, watching it. She saw it looking around, scenting the air. She tilted her head to the side, wondering what it was doing. She'd never seen a wolf scent the air before, so the action was foreign to her. She padded quietly towards the pup. It saw her and became frightened. It darted into a bush and stared at her from within. Its eyes were a blue hue, like the sky above. The pup was confused to see her amber eyes and tawny pelt.

"Hi!" Kate greeted. The pup hid further, causing Kate to frown. She smiled and perked up her ears. "I'm Kate! What's your name?" It crawled forward a bit, allowing her to see the pup's face.

"I-I," the pup stuttered. "I'm H-Humphrey."

"Hi, Hahumphrey!" She exclaimed.

"No, it's just Humphrey," it corrected her. She was surprised to hear that she got its name wrong. She could have sworn that it said Hahumphrey!

"Oh, sorry!" She apologized. "Hi, Just Humphrey!" It gave her a quizzical look and slowly came out.

"Where am I?" It asked.

"Oh, I know that one!" Kate said joyfully. "You're in Jasper Park, Canada! But you can also call it Canada, Jasper Park! Or you can call it Jasper Canada Park, or Park Canada Jasper, or Park Jasper Canada, or you can have a lot of fun a say it backwards! Do you know what it is backwards?" It shook his head. "I do! It's Krap Adanac Repsaj!"

The pup's face contorted, rolling on the ground laughing. Kate joined in and laughed along with it. After its convulsing laughter subsided, it stood up and looked at her.

"You're funny!" It said.

"You are, too!" She countered. "What are you anyway? You're a weird looking pup!"

"I'm a wolf!" The pup exclaimed. She shook her head.

"No! I know that part! I'm a she-wolf! But what are you? You don't look like my mom or sister; you look more like my dad!"

"Oh, I'm a boy," he explained. Now she understood. When he said that, she became very wary of him. Her mother always told her, 'Stay away from boys! They're nothing but trouble!' Was she going to get in trouble for being around him? He didn't seem bad!

"Where are your parents?" She asked. "Pups can't be out unless they're three moons old!"

"I'm almost three moons," Humphrey told her. "I'm two and a half!" Kate was astounded to hear that he was older than her. He was almost allowed to leave his parents' den without their supervision! She wasn't even allowed to with her parents!

The two heard a crack behind Humphrey. He turned around and Kate caught a brief glimpse of a large wolf standing over them.

Where did that memory come from? Kate sat up, perplexed. What was even stranger was the fact that her consciousness referred to the dream as a 'memory.' She certainly didn't recognize that as anything she'd seen before, so how could it have possibly been a memory? She blinked her eyes and walked outside to get a drink from a nearby crick that ran along the mountain and into the planes beyond. When she investigated the water, however, she gasped in shock.

She was not as she remembered. Her eyes were now amber like Kala's, her fur tawny with a white chest and underbelly. She wasn't even a pup anymore; she was a full-grown she-wolf. When she looked back at herself, however, she was just as she'd always been. What was going on? She raised a paw to the water's surface. The reflection did not mimic her movements like it should have. It wasn't her!

"Hello, Kate," a voice spoke. She looked around, unable to see anyone around her. Who said that? She heard giggling and looked back at the crick to see that it was the reflection. It was speaking to her in her mind.

"Who are you?" Kate whispered fearfully.

"I am you," the reflection replied. This didn't make sense; how could she be Kate? I am who you were named after.

"You were my daddy's first mate?" She asked inquisitively. The reflection nodded and smiled.

"We are one, you and I. Our minds are conjoined together-I am you, you are me. Until death seizes you-and I hope that is not for many long years-we will be together in mind and spirit."

"Why?"

"Lupus and Lupa have given me a second chance to live within you. I will share my knowledge, experience, strength, and courage with you, and we may speak at any time."

"How?"

"Just reach out your mind, she replied with a smug smile. I will be here whenever you need me, daughter of my lover."

"Does daddy know?" Kate asked the reflection.

"Yes, he does, as does your elder sister, my daughter. A storm is coming, Kate. You must be prepared."

"How do I do that?" She asked fearfully. "How do I prepare? How do we get out of here?"

"You will find a way. Be safe, young pup. With that, Kate disappeared into oblivion."

"You know, mademoiselle," a familiar voice said behind her. Kate whipped around to look at him, Marcel standing behind her with a large grin on his face. "I never took you to be one to talk to things that cannot speak back!"

"Mar-!" She began, but he covered here muzzle with his wing, silencing her.

"We must be silent!" He hissed. "Now, where is your sister and your brother?" At the mention of Ryker, she hung her head in sadness, tears falling down her face.

"Ryker's dead," she choked. "Saren killed him." Marcel cursed and embraced the she-pup tightly. He asked about Luna, but she said that she didn't know where she was.

"I must report to your sister," he told her. "She, Lily, and Kerrigan are trying to find you. I will tell them about where you are and come back as soon as I can."

"Please don't leave me here!" She pleaded with him. The old goose looked at her sorrowfully.

"I don't know how to get you free," he admitted sadly. "But we will not leave you, I promise. Stay safe, young'un." With that, he took flight, leaving Kate alone. She sighed, her heart heavy, and saw Luna standing in front of her. Kate leapt back in shock, surprised to see her sister standing there.

"Luna!" Kate breathed a sigh of relief. "We're going to be saved!"

"We don't need saving, Kate," Luna said with a growl, advancing upon her. Kate backed away fearfully; unable to understand why her eyes were suddenly a dark blue and why she was acting so hostile toward her. "We need to help Saren activate the Marker." Kate's eyes widened in fear. What had happened to her sister?

 ****A/N: Thanks to Dawn Walker Wolf, imjustlikehumphrey, Crowwolf, LilyAndMe, The-crazy-lone-wolf77, Alexander, the dark shadow, wizz713, and FunLovingKate for reviewing. Until next time.****

 ****-The Dishonored Wolf****


	10. Forgiveness

10\. Forgiveness

Kala was panting heavily, her tongue lolling out and her breath coming out in short, ragged gasps. Kerrigan and Lily were not faring any better; they had been walking for almost two days, heading towards a dark cluster of mountains in the distance that they suspected the Black Bloods may have taken the pups. It wasn't the most original place they could have gone, but it was all they had. Iris still circled overhead diligently, keeping watch over them. Marcel, however, still was nowhere to be found. Kala was worried about the old goose; he was aging and most certainly not what he used to be when he'd helped her mother and father in the past. She regretted sending him to look for the pups.

Iris was better suited for the job, despite her lack of an eye. Marcel was old and not the most particularly physically fit fowl in the world. It would have been better if she assigned Iris to look for the pups and Marcel to stay around them. Kala couldn't take back what she'd ordered, however; her decision was final, and she was unable to take back what she'd said. Her shoulder was burning with insatiable, blistering pain. She gritted her fangs and looked at the infected wound. The Black Blood's fangs had obviously been coated in some kind of poison, though not strong enough to kill, only to hurt, probably for the safety of the Black Blood himself.

She was limping, trying to stay off her leg as much as she could, but she was being quickly wore down by the physical strain as they continued their journey. Kerrigan looked at her, worried. Kala's persistence was remarkable, but if she kept going forward like this, she could end up hurting herself. Kerrigan called for them to stop, Kala looking relieved for a few moments before she hid the emotion from her face. Kerrigan padded up to Lily and took her out of Kala's earshot. Kala lied on the ground and rested. Kerrigan looked at the young she-wolf in pity, and then turned her attention to Lily.

"Kala's not doing so well, Lily," Kerrigan said, her eyes bearing worry and concern for the young she-wolf. Lily coldly looked at Kala. "Look, I don't know what's going on between you two-I've only been with your pack so long, but whatever it is, you need to put it past you, because I don't want to risk seeing another friend die."

Lily looked at the ground and sighed, then brushed past Kerrigan and padded toward her niece.

"Kerrigan, find reeds and cobwebs. Moss would also be nice," Lily told her. "If you can, I want you to also find some dandelions. They'll be needed." Kerrigan nodded briskly and dashed into the planes in search of what Lily requested. Iris had overheard Lily's requests and followed Kerrigan while Lily approached Kala.

The grey and tawny she-wolf looked up at her aunt. Lily told her to keep still and stay calm as she began to inspect the wound. It was bubbling, and red, dried pus caked on new scabs, broken skin created from her constant physical activities. Lily could see small puncture wounds where the wolf's fangs had sunk into her, but luckily, they had not bitten deep enough for anything to get into her veins or bloodstream. Lily doubted that the poison even penetrated her muscle tissue.

She began to put compressing pressure her shoulder with grass blades. Kala winced at first, but she was a strong she-wolf; she could take it. Finally, Kerrigan and Iris rushed back with what Lily requested, even the dandelions. Lily dismissed them and began to pound the dandelions into the moist moss and then wrapped it around her shoulder. She tightened the moss with the cobwebs and reeds, securing them so they would not leave her shoulder and would allow her to heal normally.

"I'm sorry about Firetail, Aunt Lily," Kala murmured sadly, a tear falling from her eye. Lily's jaw clenched and her guard hairs on her back bristled. Her eyes hardened, and she tried to hold back tears for her dead son. She sighed and licked behind Kala's ear.

"I know you are, Kala," Lily said gently, choking on her words as she tried to refrain from crying. "One day, I will make you repay me for what you've done to my son. But for now… for now, I will forgive and forget. You are still my niece, my sister's daughter, and you are still the young pup I kept alive with the milk I had in me despite that I cannot birth my own pups. I still love you, Kala, do not forget that." Kala looked up at her aunt, the two she-wolves' faces streaked with tears. Lily leaned forward and nuzzled Kala. For now, she had regained her aunt's trust and love, and for that, Kala was grateful.

**Humphrey**

Humphrey was faced with terrible indecision after learning of the disappearance of Kala, Kerrigan, Lily, Iris, and Marcel. It was important that he get his wolves to the Winter Mountains-assuming that the legends were true-but how could he do so when his sister in law, Taylor's friend, and his own daughter were missing? And what of his other two daughters? After learning of Ryker's death, Humphrey's heart had been wrenched and torn to pieces, Kacey likewise distraught and captivated with misery and sadness. It was horrible to lose your own pup, and now Humphrey was faced with the all-too-real possibility that he'd lost all four of his pups and his friends.

Scourge, despite his reluctance to leave anyone behind as well, insisted that they kept moving, though at a slower pace. If Marcel and Iris were with them, they could be trusted to lead the missing wolves back to the rest of the pack. Humphrey knew that was true enough, though he was hesitant to leave, especially when Kacey was in such terrible condition. He broached a deal with Scourge: they would wait for three more nights before they started moving again. He agreed to Humphrey's proposition and they waited. It was now the evening of the third night.

He sat on a rise, looking north where the wolves had left, where their scent trail had faded from the downpour of rain. He tilted back his head and began to howl for his daughter, hoping that Kala would respond to his cry. He waited for several minutes but heard nothing in response. He continued to howl until his voice was ragged and strained and he gasped for air. Still, he heard no replying call from the young she-wolf.

He sensed as much as saw from the corner of his eye the brown-furred she-wolf that was his mate approach him, sitting beside him. Their pelts brushed against one another, Kacey moving closer to him. She rested her head against him, closing her eyes as Humphrey looked forward. Humphrey sighed, closing his eyes and parting his jaws to inhale her sweet scent. He felt warmed by her touch, comforted by her presence. He looked at her and she opened her eyes to meet his, Humphrey staring deep into her beautiful, tantalizing dark-pink eyes. He nuzzled her, Kacey returning the affectionate gesture to her mate and Leader Wolf. Instinctually, their tails snaked toward each other and intertwined, their hearts beating in harmonious symphony.

Despite his love for Kate, Humphrey loved Kacey equally and saw in her the future he sought with Kate that they never got to have. With Kacey, Humphrey could see that Kate was happy in the Spirit Winter Mountains, knowing that her former mate was having the life that they could have only dreamt of-well, minus the Marker, necromorphs, and Saren's Blood Wolves. Humphrey felt a tear land on his nose, one that rolled from Kacey's eye. Humphrey gently pulled away and looked at his mate. What had she done to deserve seeing the dead body of their pup?

"We have to find our pups, Humphrey," she whispered, her eyes covered by a film of tears. Humphrey licked her cheek affectionately and flashed his old trademark smile.

"We will, my love," he promised her. "And when this is all over, we can have the future we dreamt of." She nodded and nuzzled his chest, burying her face in his fur. Humphrey rested his head over hers in a warm embrace.

**Kala**

"Mademoiselle!" A voice cried. Kala instinctively smiled and looked up. It was the early morning, dew resting upon her back fur, her wound now beginning to heal. She stood up, Kerrigan, Lily, and Iris perking up with Marcel's approach. He fluttered down, and Kala bounded toward him, hugging him tightly. "Ah! Mademoiselle, you are j-just like your mother! Both of you hug too tight!"

Kala pulled away with a sheepish grin and sat down before Marcel, the other she-wolves and Iris sitting beside her.

"Did you find them?" Kala asked him feverishly.

"Well, uh, I found two of them…" He said nervously, looking downcast.

"Who did you find?" Kala persisted. "And what do you mean only two?"

"I found your sisters," he replied. "But it appears that, well…upon their arrival, Saren ordered one of his wolves to…to kill Ryker." Kala slumped down on her haunches, her heart heavy and eyes watering, her lower lip quivering from the dreadful news. Lily looked away and Kerrigan looked at Kala in concern and sadness. Kala's ears lowered and she sniffled, tears rolling down her face. She blinked and growled, her ears flicking back, her guard hairs standing on end and her fangs barred.

"I'll kill Saren for what he did!" She snarled. "Where are they, Marcel?"

"At a dark mountain in the north, another day's walk from here; and Saren has found another Marker there. His Black Bloods are clearing out rubble for it to rise again."

"Take us there!" Kala snarled.

"Mademoiselle, I urge to reconsider-"

"Reconsider my ass!" Kala growled. "I will save them and kill Saren! I'm ending this once and for all!"

"Kala, if you do this, you might die," Lily argued. "We can't just rush headlong into an army, even if we could somehow infiltrate their forces with Marcel's help, we wouldn't get anywhere near Saren!"

"Then again," Kerrigan said, her eyes narrowing. "Revenge would be what we should do to that bastard of a wolf."

Kala hung her head and sighed, knowing that Marcel was right, and Lily were right. As much as she wanted revenge for what they'd done to Ryker, and as much as she wanted to save her little sisters, they didn't have a chance against Saren. The best thing they could do was turn back and hope that Humphrey could save them when he went to find the armies at the Summer Solstice, a battle that Kala still very much intended on attending.

"Let's go back," she sighed, defeated. Marcel patted her shoulder with his wing and then took flight, soaring into the skies, the three she-wolves following them. Kala looked back nevertheless and murmured a silent prayer for her sisters. "Stay safe, my sisters."


	11. A Fork in the Road

11\. A Fork in the Road

Kate stalked through the snow-blanketed world, her eyes glowing in hard-set fury. This was not the Kate of the living world; this was Humphrey's former mate, the biological mother of Kala. It had taken all the power in her spirit to pull away this shimmering fragment of a spirit from her dormant state. Her unnamed pups kept pace with her, running with their small, feeble legs to keep up with her long, walking strides. They did not complain, nor did they need to. In this world, physical endeavors did not plague the wolves. Pain, sadness, hurt, physical or emotional, was nonexistent in this perfect paradise. Kate, however, was in a blind, insatiable fury as she stalked toward the base of the Winter Mountains where Lupus and Lupa sat on their thrones of crystalline ice, to the place that Fenrir guided Kala when she had been impaled by Saren.

She broke through the trees and padded up the rocky slopes, not bothering to fly despite knowing full well that, if she so chose, she could do so. The pups, however, fluttered around her with sightless glee. Kate could not help but smile at her small pups, wishing, not for the first time, that they four had survived to stay in the world with Kala and Humphrey. Alas, that was a future not to be, despite how desperately Kate and Humphrey had fought to make it a reality. They had come so close, so painstakingly close to having a family and life together. Then, fate twisted its paw into the darkness, leading the humans to Jasper to destroy their home and kill hundreds of wolves, forcing Humphrey to lead the survivors. It was a terrible fate to be condemned to, and Kate knew that there was only more pain and darkness to come.

This is why she tore a fragment of her dormant conscience away from Humphrey and Kacey's daughter, Kate. To become a wolf of Lupus and Lupa, one was able to see into the future of those wolves that a spirit cared for most. For Kate, she could see premonitions of Humphrey's future. Soon, he would lose everyone-Kala, Kacey, Luna, Kate, Winston, Marcel, Iris, Scourge, Faolan, Garth, Lily, Taylor, Kerrigan…they would all die if Humphrey made any wrong choice. Of course, there was always the chance to change the future. It had been done many a time. For Kate, her premonitions were to be mated with Garth and become Leader She-Wolf. She, however, had changed her future and been with Humphrey. It was possible, no doubt, for Humphrey to change the future and save everyone he loved, but only if he made the right choices and Kate knew that she had to be there for him to make sure that she did not meet any of them in the Spirit Mountains.

Kate stood atop the massive rock that jutted in between the two mountains where the golden sunlight streamed, snowflakes fluttering around but bringing no cold, only comforting warmth, like the fluffy down of an owl's feathers. Through the light, she could see a massive shape of a spirit wolf fly down to her, gently lighting down before her, its sparkling green eyes looking upon her in kindness and compassion. This was the she-wolf goddess, Lupa. Kate bowed to the goddess, the pups rambunctiously and obliviously playing with one another nearby, their tiny mewls echoing ever so slightly in the presence of Lupa. She rose with the moon of the mortal world, Lupus with sun. They were only ever seen together in dawn and dusk, the times of the eve and morn that was neutral, or when there was a serious matter to attend to, such as Kala's resurrection from the Jagged Ice wolves.

Lupa pressed her nose to Kate's forehead, the two she-wolves parting their jaws to inhale their scents, a ritual of all wolves for greeting. Lupa pulled away and Kate rose to her paws, her amber eyes glimmering. Lupa sat back on her haunches, her tail swishing back and forth gently, allowing snow to rise from the ground and fall around them. The pups leapt at the flakes, snapping their jaws in an attempt to catch them. Lupa smiled at them, Kate surprised that she was doing this. However, that did not matter; what mattered was that Kate get the information from Lupa that she needed.

"You come to me in concern for your former mate," Lupa observed, her beautiful voice echoing as it carried through the mountains and forests. She did not look at Kate, her gaze fixated on the pups entirely. She tentatively prodded them with her paw, rolling them on their winged backs and rubbing their bellies, the pups giggling from the sensation of Lupa's tickling.

Kate did not respond, simply looking at Lupa, expectant of what she'd say next. Kate waited and waited, but Lupa did not say anything more. Kate growled and nodded her head vigorously in response to Lupa's question. Lupa smiled sweetly and gave her undivided attention to Kate.

"I want to tell him of his future," Kate said. Lupa's eyes narrowed and hardened from the suggestion and she huffed, snow billowing from the forced exhalation of air from her nostrils. The pups stopped playing and hid behind Kate's legs, keeping back fearfully. Kate, however, stood her ground as she always had in defiance.

"That is not for you to decide," Lupa growled. "If their destines are to die, then it shall be preserved that way and they will go down in history as martyrs and heroes, known for the heroic actions and deeds "

"I will not allow them to die!" Kate snarled. Lupa was taken aback by Kate's ferocity towards the goddess, shocked that any wolf would dare defy her or her mate. Kate's guard hairs were poised on end and her muscles were tensed, her ears flicked back, her claws unsheathed, and her fangs barred and salivating.

Of course, she would never have a chance in a battle against Lupa, and it would only send her straight to the hellish darkness and loneliness that evil wolves went to after death. She would go through hell and back to defend those she loved, and Lupa was impressed with this despite her initial annoyance. Kate was an arrogant she-wolf, there was no denying, but her fierce loyalty, love, care, and affection made her a formidable foe and faithful ally. Lupa intended on keeping her as the latter.

Lupa studied Kate's shimmering apparition. She was nothing but a transparent fragment of the full spirit that she was. At least two thirds of Kate's being had gone into Humphrey's daughter to give Kate a second chance at life. The other third was mostly dormant, save for this apparition. It was barely a percentage of Kate's conscious being and forced her to go terrible mental and physical strain to force just this fading image to talk to Lupa. She could see the weariness and exhaustion in the apparition's eyes, Lupa smiling softly at her. For one to do what Kate had just done said much about the character of a wolf, and Lupa was now certain that their decision to give her the second chance she deserved was right and just.

"I understand your concerns for your mate," Lupa said. "But unfortunately, your dormant state is keeping you from doing as you wish. Yes, you have the ability to briefly visit Kala as you are her Spirit Guide assigned by Fenrirsúlfur. This means that there are only two ways for you to save Humphrey and his pack, both of which will force you to deal with the repercussions of your actions.

"The first option for you to choose is to assume direct control of Humphrey's daughter, Kate. This means that she will cease to exist and you will be fully resurrected into individual existence. She will die, but you will be fully reborn. If you do this, you will have the death of his daughter on your paws and be forced to deal with his current mate and her jealousy and hatred. The second option is to extract your spiritual being from Kate. She will no longer be you, and your second chance at life will be taken away, siphoned forever to this place, but you will be able to talk to Humphrey and warn him. One of these choices will cause great tragedy and peril for the pack, another could very well possibly kill them all. It is your choice, and you must decide what to choose."

Kate looked away, averting her gaze and looking back upon her pups. If she was to assume direct control of Humphrey's daughter, she would not only be a murderer, but would be leaving her pups behind. Of course, in this world they would never be harmed, but how could she separate herself from them?

"You said one choice will bring death and tragedy," Kate said cautiously. "Which one?"

"That is uncertain," she replied. "If you do this, you will be changing the course of fate and destiny. All that I know is one will cause tragedy. Perhaps even both will, but it is only to be determined once you make your choice. The paths are open, Kate. Now, it is time to choose."

Kate averted her gaze, her eyes looking down at her pups. She couldn't leave them, there was no chance. And to betray Humphrey and take his mate and his pup would be even worse. No, the choice was clear. She had to sacrifice her second chance.

She told Lupa her choice and the goddess nodded in understanding. She pressed her paw to Kate's chest and sank her claws into her. Kate felt icy, blistering pain as Lupa tore out her heart. Kate gasped as blood poured from her chest, splashing onto the rock below her. She cried into the heavens around her, and for a moment, the pups seemed to have heard, huddling close to one another in fear. Now Kate had died twice.

**Kate**

Her eyes shot open in the fern den and she arched her back, screaming in immense pain into the sky. Luna and Collette woke, startled by her cry. Kate felt as though she had been stabbed by a million icicles, her heart burning as it had never burnt before. Collette shook Kate, trying to snap her out of her painful trance. Luna looked at her sister in curiosity, wondering if she was dreaming of the Marker's divine light. Saren had told her that it affected new followers differently, so perhaps this was what was going through her sister.

Kate had not taken to Luna's exclamation that the Marker was good in a fine light. She did not agree with Luna and called her a Mad Wolf. Luna was stung by her words but knew she couldn't allow her sister to think the Marker was bad when, in truth, it was their savior. Now, however, it seemed that Kate was either going through a transition to following the Markers, or something completely different.

She felt horrible, sick, malnutrition, and felt as though her heart had been torn out of her chest. Kate collapsed, feeling as though a part of herself had been ripped away from her, as though she was no longer herself. She shivered, Collette and Luna trying to comfort the she-pup. Kate had to get away from here. She had to leave now!

 ****A/N: ****Thanks to Dawn Walker Wolf, Crowwolf, The-crazy-lone-wolf, the dark shadow, imjustlikehumphrey, LilyAndMe, Alexander, and wizz713 for reviewing my last chapter! Thanks to my friend Crazy for helping me out. You're a good friend, man. Until next time!****

 ****-The Dishonored Wolf****


	12. To the Darkness

12\. To the Darkness

Kate opened her eyes, weakly trying to make herself adjust her vision to the dimness of the fern den. Collette was talking with Luna off to the other side of the den, her sister looking incredibly worried about the wellbeing of Kate. She felt hollow, as though something had been forcefully ripped out of her. She seemed to also have holes in her memory, as though there was something missing about her life.

She felt weak, as though her limbs were made of mere blades of grass. Her belly felt like a dark, bottomless pit, like she'd never eaten anything in her life. Terrible pain burned in her chest, icy claws clenching her heart and piercing her Life Blood. She looked down, fearing what she'd see, but saw that her chest and the rest of her body looked perfectly normal. Her chest felt knotted and tense, as though she'd been brutally beaten. Whatever had happened to her, it did not appear that Luna and Collette knew what it was, which meant that asking them would be futile and worthless. Luna looked frightened, as though she'd seen a ghost. Collette looked worried, the two whispering in hushed tones and making small gestures toward Kate.

Examining herself again-mainly to reassure herself that she was alright physically-Kate noticed something very different about herself. Her fur was now a dark brown like her mother; her chest and belly fur a dull silver-grey. She was resting beside a small pool of water in the den. She looked into the water at her reflection and gasped. Her eyes were no longer those of her father-they were the dark pink of her mother. She was now the near-exact image of her mother with only bare traces of her father present in her appearance. She had, like Humphrey and his previous mate, Kate, looked somewhat resembling of Kala. Now, Kate bore no traces of Kala or the original Kate in her looks. She was now the exact image of her mother with faint traces of her father's genes in her.

Forcing herself to her paws, Kala stretched, arching her back and groaning as she felt tired muscles stretch and bones scream at her. Luna cried out to her sister in relief, but Collette held her back from approaching Kate to give her the time and space that she needed.

"How are you feeling, Kate Small Fangs?" Collette asked her in a concerned tone. Kate winced as she felt a limb crack, but looked back at Collette and Luna nevertheless.

"Not too good," she admitted. "I feel sick and really hungry, and there's a…hollowness, like I'm not really me anymore. I don't know why."

"We don't know either," Luna said.

"W-what happened to my fur?" She asked, looking back at herself again. Collette looked at Luna, the two sharing a glance. Kate was now skeptical and worried.

"We aren't sure of that, Kate Small Fangs," Collette told her truthfully. "You started to…change after what happened to you. It is strange…troubling that this happened to you." Kate nodded in agreement, looking herself over. Despite her sadness and shock that her fur had changed, she had now become a beautiful she-pup in appearance as her mother was. In two or three moons, she would become Young Wolf, and she'd look very similar to her mother in more than just puphood.

Collette said she had to leave and talk to Saren, though her eyes showed she was mortified by the very thought of associating with the damned disgrace of a wolf. She left, Luna and Kate sitting in uncomfortable silence in the fern den. Kate was horrified that Luna had accepted the Marker and was sickened when she saw that Luna's fur was died black with red marks resembling scars over her eyes, painted by Saren himself to prove that she was now a Black Blood wolf.

How could Luna betray what the Jasper wolves stood for? What they'd fought against? It was unthinkable to believe that Luna would do such a horrible thing that would surely endanger the pack as a whole. Yet she'd gone ahead and done it, and there was no changing the choice that she'd made.

**Humphrey**

Though disappointed in the decision that Kala made to go out on her own, Humphrey was forgiving of her, and for the first time in moons, she had slept with he and Kacey, curled up next to her father like she'd done when she was but a young pup.

He was in a dark, misty forest. Humphrey looked around, time seemingly dulled and thick, like he was walking through honey. He padded forward and saw a beautiful, glowing apparition. He knew that tawny glow anywhere! He sprinted forward, and Kate turned to nuzzle him as he approached. He broke down, sobbing as she held him close to her rhythmically beating heart.

"I lost my pups, Kate," he sputtered. "What kind of a horrible father am I?"

"You did not have the power to save them," she cooed. "None of you did. Rest assured, my love; Kate and Luna are safe."

"Where are they?" He asked her, begging her. "I have to find them!"

"They are being held by the Black Bloods," she growled, glaring at the ground in anger. "Saren and his lapdog, John, have found their Blue Marker and rallied their army there. The former mate of your friend has survived and has been caring for your daughters."

"Collette," Humphrey said, receiving a nod from Kate.

"They are waiting Humphrey," Kate told him. "But they cannot wait forever. Even now darkness swarms around them. Take care my love."


	13. The Queen of the Longfangs

13\. The Queen of the Longfangs

**Act 2: Contingency of War**

**Location Unknown, Current Time**

My father tried and tried to claw his way to the cliff walls, but to no avail. Still, he did not give up. I can't believe he still does that! How could he so stubborn? It was, however, commendable that he was so resilient, that he would never go down without a fight. It was a pity to see that he was going to die.

"Kala, we have to swing over here!" He cried, exasperated. The vines entangled his body, wrapping around him and coiling tighter each time that he moved. I simply hung, giving up completely on this futile attempt. I looked at him in pure despair; could he not see that the end was inevitable? That the attempt to escape was completely useless? He managed to get a loose grip on the rocks with his claws, but he slipped, leaving small white scratches. The Black Bloods above us laughed mockingly at his attempts. I closed my eyes, holding back stinging tears; could he just stop? Did he not feel shamed by their mockery? She hated seeing her father in such miserable defeat yet still hold on to the slim hope that they would survive.

Suddenly, someone else was thrown down with us, tangled in vines: Scourge. His yellow eyes darted to the bottom of the cavernous pit and he panicked, scrabbling back and holding on to the vines for dear life despite that he was already securely tied in them. None of us would fall until the Black Bloods tired of us and cut the vines, sending us to our deaths at the bottom. Our bodies would be broken, mutilated, beyond all recognition. We'd failed, we'd lost so much. I lost the family I had, the family I could have had, the pack that I'd known for so long. They were all either dead or held captive by Black Bloods-a fate that was even worse. They would be sacrificed and turned into necromorphs, no doubt. I would rather die a battered, forgotten corpse at the bottom of a shadowy chasm than turn into one of those horrible, Marker spawn monsters.

"Scourge!" Humphrey gasped, his eyes wide. "I thought that you-"

"Died?" He growled, righting himself, glaring at Humphrey and me. "Yeah, I can tell! How well do you think I took it when I woke up in a Longfang pit?"

"How did you make it out?" He asked, astounded that he'd survived. To be truthful, I was too.

"I got lucky," he spat. "A D'Tyoni nest was under the pit. I slipped away when they were fighting over who would get the pleasure of tearing me to little fucking bits!" Humphrey looked down, ashamed that he'd left his friend to die. Scourge looked up at the Black Bloods in annoyance, growling at them. "Well, how do we get out of here, Leaderwolf?" He asked. My father did not respond. I sighed and gave Scourge a hard stare.

"We don't," I said flatly. Scourge looked at me incredulously, obviously not expecting my response. "There is no hope here, Scourge. We're already dead."

**Four Days Earlier**

Kala opened her eyes, unable to sleep. She shifted her position and wrapped her tail around her paws, blinking away tiredness. She heard a long exhale beside her and she looked over to see Faolan beside her, sound asleep. She envied his ability to sleep. She caught a glimpse of light shimmering on her paw and scrutinized the pad. Her birthmarks, the three slash shapes that she'd had on her pad as long as she could remember, glittered beautifully in the pale moonlight.

She sighed, looking at the markings in wonder, wishing that they meant something-wishing that she meant something. Humphrey had a destiny, a purpose in this life. What did Kala have, though? All she could do was help her father complete his own destiny. Yet the question plagued her conscience: what of her own destiny? What did Kala, she-wolf of the stars, slayer of the Basilisk and lover of a murderous Jagged Ice wolf have to give to the world? It didn't seem like she had any purpose in this world, any meaning. She was momentarily jealous of her father for having such great importance. She realized quickly, however, her selfishness and the wrongs in those thoughts. Humphrey had lost almost everything; wishing for that kind of a life was perhaps the most horrific thing a living being could desire.

She stood up, stretching her tired limbs. She could feel Faolan's eyes watching her, admiring her. She smirked and made a deliberate display to her mate-to-be, letting the moonlight shine off of her slender body. She began to pad away, flicking his face with her tail as she did so. Faolan smiled wryly and stood, stretching his limbs before following his she-wolffriend. She walked over a small rise in the plains and sat on the other side, looking out over the mountains in the near distance. Faolan looked at her in interest and sat beside her, the fur on their pelts touching and their tail intertwining as if by natural instinct. They said not a word, simply enjoying the shared company of one another. Kala leaned against him, closing her eyes as she rested her head upon his shoulder. He looked down at her and smiled, nuzzling the side of her face gently and affectionately. Kala would have smiled had the circumstances been better, had it been only them and with no worries, no Markers, no hate, no war…

Faolan wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer, Kala resting her head upon his chest and parting her jaws slightly to inhale his scent. He rested his head atop hers, taking in her sweet scent. He lightly nibbled the stem of the flower over her ear. He adjusted it, ensuring that it was secured on her ear. Licked his neck fur and nuzzled his cheek. After a long while of holding one another, they gently pulled back slightly to look each other in the eyes.

"I wish that things were different," Kala murmured, blinking at him. He tilted his head.

"Different how?" He asked her.

"I want there to be peace," she whispered. "No misery, no pain, no loss, no war…Faolan, I want you and I want to be your mate, but we can't be in this damned war!" He nodded and nuzzled her.

"One day, this war will end, and we can be together," he said, pressing his nose to hers. "One day, we can start our own family be together. I promise you, when this is all over, if you still want to be with me…I will be with you." She nodded and gave a small, shy smile. He chuckled and licked her cheek and the two looked out toward the mountains.

For days they had been traveling to this particular range-ironically, the mountain that the Summer Solstice meeting was to take part in was only twenty leagues away from the Blue Marker Mountain where Saren and his Black Bloods were residing. Of course, it wasn't known before the meeting was assembled that the Blue Marker was so close, but it made the journey not nearly as long and tedious as previously thought to find them.

They had not heard from Fenrir for moons, but if he'd been able to do what he'd said was needed, then he'd have gathered an army by now. Kala's heart skipped beats and her blood ran cold whenever she thought of fighting, of going to war. Kala hated fighting; she hated to go against others. This was not how packs should act. The wolves should have been working together to destroy the Markers, not fighting one another in a pointless conflict! Now lives would be lost needlessly when they could be saved. It disgusted Kala that lives were about to be thrown away over such a monstrous creation of nature.

She looked at Faolan and, for the first time since she'd been pupknapped by the Longfang, she knew fear. She did not fear death; no, she accepted the inevitability of her demise that all living beings had to see one day. So, what did the silver she-wolf fear? It was quite simple: she feared for the life she may not get the chance to have. When she looked in Faolan's eyes, she saw a world of hope and wonder, a place where she knew that Kala would always belong, knowing that she had a future with the handsome young wolf. Yet at the same time, she was terrified that if Faolan died, that future they desired would never be seen, and vice versa if Kala was killed as well. How could she ever possibly go on without him, to go a day knowing that she was alive and he was dead, or that he was alive and she was dead? It wasn't a concept she could easily comprehend, nor was it one that she wanted to ponder. A life without Faolan, she came to realize, was a life hardly worth living.

Kala suddenly began to feel the weight of exhaustion creep upon her. They had been traveling for so long…never had Kala had the chance to rest! Her whole life had been spent on the run, and now…now they were going to war, and all that she desired was rest. She slid to the ground, curling up in a tight ball. Faolan smiled softly at her and lay beside her, nosing her flank. She flicked him with her tail and tightened her form closer.

He rested his head atop her flank, moving as close to her as he could. She welcomed his company, but as much as she desired fit rest, she could not force herself to sleep. Her amber eyes shined in the darkness, just as her paw pad did. She quickly hid it underneath the cover of her tail, not wishing Faolan to think that she was some kind of freak for her odd birthmark. He had, however, seen a glimpse of it, though thought nothing of it despite her preconceived worries. She exhaled and twisted her head to look at her mate-to-be.

"Faolan?" She whispered. He did not open his eyes.

"What is it?" He asked her sleepily. She looked down, wondering how to put her feelings into words. Finally, it seemed that she had it and she looked back at him, a glimmer in her eyes cast by the pale light of the glorious moon that night.

"Do you think we'll be good mates? Do you think we'll be good parents?" It seemed, however, that she'd waited too long to ask the question, for Faolan had already drifted to sleep. She sighed, averting her gaze from the blue-grey wolf. She knew that he cared for her but…it just did not seem that he was willing to listen to her all the time like she preferred. Suddenly, a new and more serious question pushed its way into her thoughts. Faolan, like all of the Spirit Marked wolves of the Jagged Ice Pack had bright, jade green eyes. The night that the Marker rose, it had turned all of their eyes to red. After it was destroyed, they returned to their normal green. Now, however, she noticed a change in his iris' hue. They were now beginning to turn a bright blue.

"Faolan?" She whispered, her voice shaking a bit. He grunted in reply. She looked at him nervously. "Why are your eyes blue now?" He did not respond to her, not immediately. He opened his eyes and looked at her. She returned his gaze, looking into his eyes. There seemed to be faint, triangular designs in his irises, only visible when looked at face to face, and still incredibly discrete in nature. He smiled wryly, as though it was common knowledge that Kala had forgotten.

"It's something wonderful, I'll tell you about it soon," he told her. "It's called indoctrination."

**Kate**

Kate woke up, once more to the shock of her newfound brown fur. She looked across the claustrophobic fern den, noting that Collette was now gone. Luna was tapping her claws on the ground in boredom. As soon as Kate saw her sister, she began to seethe. Those blue eyes she'd acquired proved her indoctrination; each day she fell under the thrall of the Markers. Yet, despite her dark lessons as a student of the Black Bloods, she still acted as though she was the same Luna that she'd always been. Kate, however, knew better than to believe that.

How could she try to pass that redundant façade? Kate could see through the mask of darkness that enshrouded Luna. The Marker was strong, and it had taken over the mind of her beloved sister. Could she not see that Kate wanted nothing to do with the Marker? That all Kate wanted was her real sister back? Yet…at the same time, Kate did not feel the same as she used to be. It was as though a part of her had died, that she was no longer entirely herself…that she was someone entirely different now. It would almost hypocritical of her to request for her old sister back. Besides…there was no longer any point in asking for a sister that was long dead already. Indoctrination was not a reversible effect to the mind of another. When one was indoctrinated, it was impossible to cure it. She was forever lost in the darkness of the Marker's corruption. What was the point of it anymore? There was no getting her sister back. If the pack ever came looking for them again, they would be forced to kill Luna or keep her imprisoned until the Markers were destroyed.

Kate could, however, stay sane as she matured through the moons of her captivity. Thrice a week, Marcel would fly to her in secret to speak with her and act as a way to ferry messages between her and her family. She did not, however, speak of Luna's indoctrination. She didn't need to put more stress and worry on her parents' backs at this time. They would come across that barrier in due time, when it was appropriate to worry about her sister's fall. She stood, stretching her long, lithe limbs. She was now a full-grown she-wolf. She had not yet reached adulthood, but she had certainly grown to the size of it, as had Luna.

Her sister looked over at Kate and grinned, standing to her paws as well and padding over to her. Kate growled and stalked out of the den to the ledges. She sat down glumly on the ledge, overlooking the mountain and the hundreds upon thousands of Black Bloods covering its dark surface. She refused to look at the slate where Ryker had died; his blood still stained the rocks where John had killed and cannibalized their brother. These were horrific wolves; how could Luna be so blind that she could not see this? Luna sat beside her, looking at Kate quizzically.

"Are you okay, sis?" She asked Kate. She shot Luna a cold glare and barred her fangs.

"No, I'm not okay!" She snarled. Luna's eyes widened in shock, the she-wolf backing slightly as her tail beginning to tuck between her legs. She did not let up however; Kate persisted, making sure that her sister would understand her atrocious wrongs for joining the Black Bloods. "You are betraying everyone we ever knew and loved by becoming a Black Blood. Do you even realize that you will have to fight and kill mom, dad, Uncle Garth, Scourge, Aunt Lily, Grandpa Winston, the two new wolves, Kerrigan and Taylor, and even our big sister, Kala and her mate, Faolan? Do you realize that because of your decision, you'll have to kill them?"

"Who says anyone needs to die?" Luna replied hotly, narrowing her eyes at Kate. "Maybe I joined the Black Bloods, so I could convince them that no one has to die! I don't want to see anyone die, not anymore!"

"You heard what the Big-Wolf-Fenrir said!" Kate barked. "We're at war! You can't stop the fighting, and you're going to be killed along with the rest of the Black Bloods if you do this!" Luna rolled her eyes, obviously not listening to what her sister was trying to say.

Kate was aghast that her sister could be so blind. She growled and looked away, hoping to see something that would get her mind off of everything that had happened to them. Luna sighed sadly and looked down. It was almost pathetic to see her do so; after all, why would a traitor need to feel sadness?

"Ah, Luna!" A voice greeted from behind them. Luna smiled and turned around, but Kate stubbornly slouched and dug her claws into the rock, gritting her fangs together. Saren's company was not welcome with her as it was with Luna. The evil wolf padded to Luna with a kindly smile and nuzzled her affectionately. Kate wanted to lose the contents of her stomach by the mere sight of it.

"So, what are we going to do today?" Luna asked excitedly. Kate wished she were deaf; she knew the atrocities he had made her commit, and Luna thought nothing of it. Murder, sacrifice, self-inflicted pains…those were only segments of what Saren forced upon her. Kate didn't even want to think of what else he made her do.

"Well actually, I'd like your sister to accompany us as well," Luna's smile faded as he said that and she glared at her sister. Kate refused to look back at them. Luna growled at Kate.

"You should be respectful toward your superiors, Kate," Luna growled coldly.

"You should know where your loyalties truly lay, Luna," Kate retorted hotly.

"Selfish, cowardly, disrespectful bitch!" Luna snarled. "How dare you talk back to a disciple of the Marker?" Kate closed her eyes and took a shaky breath, trying to calm herself down. She wanted nothing more than to weep piteously for the loss of her beloved sister, to bring her back…but Luna was already gone. Saren smiled at the two, amused at the reactions of both. He gently took Luna with him, leaving Kate behind.

Luna

"Luna, are you familiar with the Holy Longfangs?" Luna had no problem recounting the stories of Longfangs she'd heard from her father, her mother, Scourge, and even Kala. They were said to be hideous, ferocious beasts created by the humans as some kind of terrible weapon to use against other humans. Pale, furless beasts the size of three large wolves standing atop each other and four times the length of four wolves in a line. They possessed no eyes; only two large, pointed ears and slit nostrils on their short muzzles. Their muscular yet lithe body structures made them incredibly fast and powerful. Massive claws jutted from their paws, a snake-like tail flicking behind them. Their large maws were host to hundreds of long, sharp fangs. Their rough hide was completely impenetrable save for the soft, exposed belly. To kill a Longfang, one must rip open its belly and crawl inside of it, tearing out its heart.

Humphrey had told her that on one of his great journeys with Scourge, he had encountered packs of Longfangs. He had told her in no uncertain terms that they were vicious, horrible freaks of nature that should not exist in this world, and that if she were to ever see one that she should run away as fast as her paws could take her. Kala had even told her of a time that a Longfang had almost eaten her alive, but Humphrey had saved her just in time. Yes, Luna had indeed heard many stories of the evil Longfangs.

She nodded to Saren, though she did not understand why he had referred to them as being 'holy.' He led her to the bottom of the Marker chamber, toward a dark, cavernous pit. Sat on a large rock, motioning for her to look into the hole leading into the shadowy pit. She scented the air inside and recoiled in disgust. The scent was rancid, like rotting flesh and spilled blood. A low, long growl emitted from the pit. She looked at Saren nervously, not understanding what she was supposed to be doing. He gave a bloody grin to her.

"Have you ever heard of how your sister slew the great and powerful Basilisk, the Lord of the Snakes?" He asked her. Luna backed away from the hole, her heart clenched in terror. She forced herself to shake her head; she had never been told that story before. At least, not that she could remember. "The Basilisk is the largest and greatest of all snakes in this world. If one stares into its eyes for even a heartbeat, its gaze will petrify you. Kala killed the Basilisk single-pawed. She became Full Wolf on that night. As we have no Basilisk, I suppose we will just have to make do if we are to prove your worth. Luna, please, welcome in the Queen of the Longfangs."

From the pit crawled a hideous monster. It was a Longfang as described but far larger. Unlike other Longfangs, this creature had a prominent exoskeleton that gave it an alien-like appearance. Its flesh was not pale, but a dull grey. Green saliva drooled from its jaws, slithering organs snaking about its body. The thing looked like a necromorph. That's when Luna realized what that meant-the first Marker had sent out its signal across the Earth, meaning that this Longfang, the 'Queen' was already long dead. Now, it been reanimated into one of the transcended necromorphs.

It spotted Luna and its mouth split into four ways, revealing an incredibly massive, horrendous maw. She backed away and looked at Saren for support-but he was already gone. Her blood ran cold like ice as it lunged for her. Luna leapt to the right, the necromorph slamming into the rock where Saren had been previously sitting. It growled in frustration and annoyance and scrambled after Luna. She dove underneath it, sliding under and clawing at its belly. Black, thick liquid splashed on her. She stood up and retched from the sight of its blood coating her, the smell of it in her nostrils and the taste of it one her tongue. She looked up as the necromorph charged her again. Luna rolled out of the way, turned, and then jumped atop its back. It roared viciously and reared back, trying to throw her off. She held fast and tried to think of how to kill it. As the Longfang was no longer even a Longfang but a necromorph, she knew that she had to sever its limbs to kill it. She looked down at its arms and dug her claws into its right shoulder, prying at it in an attempt to dismember the necromorph's limbs.

This only seemed to aggravate the creature. Its tail split apart into three coiling appendages, flailing about in an attempt to grab hold of Luna. She snarled and dug her claws into the creature's neck, black liquids spraying out like a torrent. Still, the necromorph did not die. It whipped its body to and fro, trying to shake her off and kill her, but Luna held fast.

She was suddenly hit by one of the long appendages and thrown to the wall of the chamber. She ignored the pain and forced herself to stand once more, growling at the necromorph. It bellowed, and the three appendage-tails solidified into blade-like arms. It leapt high above her, digging into the wall. Rock rained around her and she ran back to the center of the chamber, careful not to fall into the pit. It rushed at her, the dark blood flowing out of its wounds and splashing on the ground as it lumbered forward. She grinned malevolently and dodged to the side, leaping at the appendages.

Digging her claws into the bases of the appendages, she was able to tear one of them off, the creature screaming in pained agony. She stole herself for a moment, forcing herself to ignore what she would do, and bit into the appendage's base, holding it up. She was surprised by how light it was, but did not dwell on it long. She began to rotate her head, the appendage beginning to swing in the air. She glared at the creature as it began to stalk towards her one final time. It raised a massive, bloodied paw and snarled. In response, Luna swung the appendage upward, the bladed end slicing cleanly through the necromorph's leg. It collapsed, unable to support its immense weight without a limb. It screamed in pain and Luna sliced off the other foreleg. It howled painfully, but Luna cut off its terrible screams with a final, killing blow as she decapitated the beast. She dropped the appendage, spitting out blood. She stalked over to the head, glaring down at it. She raised a paw and smashed the creature's skull to individual, bloody bits on the ground. She threw back her head in a triumphant, victorious howl.

Saren revealed himself from behind her, smiling. She turned to him and bowed to him respectively. Saren's new, striking blue eyes looked her over. He placed a paw on her forehead and inhaled, then exhaled.

"Now, you have just one final test before you are Full Wolf," Saren said. Luna's eyes flashed open, simmering in fury. She drew away from him and snarled.

"I am ready now!" She protested. "I have found my True Name! I have survived the D'Tyoni Mountains! I have killed the Longfang Queen, the first wolf in existence to do so!"

"You have killed an abomination that needed to be dealt with," Saren growled. "That was no Basilisk like your sister killed."

"I am not my sister!" She hissed. He glared at her.

"That is quite evident," he rumbled. "She was far greater and worthier than you."

"Then what do I have to do?" She cried. "I deserve the title of Full Wolf, and I will attain it!" Saren walked away briskly. Luna followed him, the two climbing back into the central Marker chamber. He looked upon the glowing blue surface of the divine object and closed his eyes, slowing his breathing. He turned to look at her, his eyes bearing into her being. It made Luna uneasy to see him staring at her in such a way.

"You must kill your sisters," he growled. "They must both die the night that the Marker rises, or they will be unworthy sacrifices, and you will not reach the title of Full Wolf." Luna's jaw dropped, and her eyes widened, her ears flattening against her skull.

Despite the jealousy she felt toward her heretic sisters, Luna had never so much as had a violent thought toward them cross her mind! To kill her sisters in cold blood? It was unthinkable, it was evil! She couldn't do something like that, never! Saren saw her eyes change hues momentarily-the Marker's effects were beginning to dwindle, indoctrination failing. He circled her and pushed her to the ground before the Marker. He kept her pinned and growled at her. She snarled at him and tried to break free, but Saren's will was too strong and she could not escape.

Suddenly, she felt his paw connect with the back of her skull, slamming her head to the ground. It was a jarring, jaw-cracking impact that left her whimpering in pain. She could feel some of her fangs chip from the force of the blow. He continued to do this until she was coughing blood and bits of her fangs to the ground before the Marker. He grabbed her scruff and shoved her face into the Marker. She felt insatiable, blisteringly pain course through her veins as he pressed her against the stone surface.

She screamed, begging for him to stop, to let her go, but Saren was cold, he was ruthless, and he did not accept weakness in his pack. He threw her to the ground with a snarl. She whimpered and curled in a ball, tears streaking her face. He growled and kicked her in the face.

"You are worthless," he growled, kicking her again. With each new statement, he'd strike her again. "You are weak! You are useless! You are a heretic! You are unworthy! You shall rot in hell!" She snarled and struck back, attacking Saren. He gave a bloody grin and the two fought, clawing and biting each other, drawing blood from their flanks. Luna grabbed his scruff and slammed his head to the ground several times until he threw her to the ground. He stood, panting heavily. Luna stood as well, spitting out blood and breathing heavily. Her heart was pounding in her breast, the blood in her veins running hot like the fires of the sun.

He looked at her with a wry smile and nodded to her curtly. He exited the Marker chamber, Luna following him out. The pale light of the sky streamed into the entrance of the caves, the two sitting upon a ledge overlooking the majesty of the Black Blood army. Saren inhaled, scenting the air. Luna sat beside him, looking out with keen eyes over the lands ahead.

"Your father summons an army to oppose me," Saren said, not looking at her. She nodded. "Your loyalties shall soon be tested, Luna."

"I understand," she said, her eyes still fixated ahead.

"If you understand as you say that you do," he growled. "Then what shall you choose, Luna Black Blood?" She looked at him with her piercing blue eyes, defiance and courage in her gaze.

"I know where my loyalties lay, Saren Leaderwolf." He nodded and the two looked ahead with her. Despite what she thought, despite what anyone thought for that matter-Saren, Leaderwolf of the Black Bloods, was proud of Luna.

 ****Thanks to MoonTrekerAF, Silver Stone, imjustlikehumphrey, Dawn Walker Wolf, Alexander, the dark shadow, LilyAndMe, and LoyalWolfHumphrey for reviewing my last chapter! Until next time!****

 ****-The Dishonored Wolf****


	14. The Assembly of War

14\. The Assembly of War

Kala was in complete and utter awe of the sight before her. The full moon of the summer solstice had raised high into the night sky, illuminating the colossal mountains before the wolves. Upon the jagged, rocky slopes of the mountain were wolves; hundreds of thousands of wolves! Wolves with fur as white as snow; wolves with fur as black as night; wolves that were brown like the mud after a storm, and wolves as grey as Kala and her father were. Howls echoed across the mountains as more and more packs converged upon the mountain where they would meet. Fenrir had not fallen short in his quest to summon an army of wolves to combat the Black Blood hordes of Saren.

Kala's amber gaze fell upon her father, Humphrey; his blue eyes scanned the slopes watched as the countless wolves entered the caves that would lead to the meeting cavern in the base of the mountain. With a silent, nonverbal signal, the pack began to walk forward. Kerrigan and Taylor walked side by side on the fringes of the Jasper wolves, looking about frantically, most likely hoping to find someone they recognized from their old pack, perhaps a family member or close friend that survived the War-Eye Clan's annihilation. Kala noticed many wolves with Spirit Markings upon them, though none of which looked like Kerrigan and Taylor's, nor any like Kala and Faolan's. They looked gaunt from the realization that their former packmates had not survived War-Eye's terrible demise. She pitied them, knowing it must have been hard for them to deal with such terrible loss. They were the last wolves of their pack, and now, all they had was each other. A tear fell down Kerrigan's face, Taylor nuzzling her affectionately in response to her misery. She leaned against him, the feather in her fur beginning to fall out. He quickly caught it and placed it back in her fur. She flashed him a small smile and their tail intertwined: it seemed as though they were now becoming close.

She looked about the pack, surveying the survivors. Originally, Kala had known fourteen other wolves. Now, there was only Humphrey, Kacey, Garth, Lily, Winston, Marcel, Iris, Scourge, Taylor, and Kerrigan. Only five wolves that Kala had known since birth had survived this far. It was a somber fact, to know that so few had lived to see another day. Now, it was an all too real possibility that none of them would live to see a tomorrow. Once the final attack began (assuming that the wolves agreed to the plan and worked together) many would be killed. It was only a matter of time. Kala stole a glance toward Faolan. His Spirit Markings-as well as her own-were beginning to quickly fade away. She nosed his flank, Faolan looking back at her with a small smile. He licked her cheek caringly and the two walked side by side. Humphrey, of course, glared at the two when they did this.

As they began to walk up the mountain, Kala noticed more and more small, dilapidated families. Young wolves, sick elders, nervous adults and, quite shockingly, even pups were among them. This was bad news; how many pups would be left as orphans after this was done? How many packs would be left without leaders? It would start turmoil and havoc; chaos would consume those who stayed behind from the war, and those who came back would never be the same. It was a terrible prospect, one that Kala knew she should not spend so much time pondering lest it cause insanity.

Pups playfully chased after fireflies that flew about over their heads, their parents, elder siblings, and grandparents looking at them in amusement. Other packs, however, did not share the brief enthusiasm of these sporadic families. Many of the wolves were in a sour, dark mood. Many of them glared about as though expecting an attack from something. There was a small group of six wolves, their fur unkempt, scar tissue and dried blood matting their dark flanks. Kala stared at them, wondering what had caused them to look so horrid in their physical appearance. A voice whispered into her ear.

"They are the Tarouk Va'Necall Clan," Kerrigan explained to her. Kala looked at her, hoping for more information on these wolves. "Humans wiped out their territory twenty-seven moons ago. They were a former rival of War-Eye. When our pack was destroyed by humans as well, we had a common foe, though they did not help us much either way."

Kala nodded in understanding. Looking about at many of the wolves on the mountain, she realized that many of them were probably survivors of the human's war, just as she and the rest of the Jasper wolves were. Scourge looked at them in a kind of particular interest, as though he knew them. Kala asked him if he did. He shook his head no. That's when she remembered that he was a survivor of the South Jasper pack, possibly the only one. He probably looked at any other human victims in interest, seeing something in common with them, dark as it may be. Faolan looked around, his eyes wide and scanning-he was looking for survivors of Jagged Ice. Kala refused to look Faolan in the eyes; she couldn't do it. How could she when she saw the Jagged Ice as a monstrous, murderous pack of sociopathic Marker worshippers?

Ahead, Kala could see a large female arctic wolf emerge from one of the caves near the peak. Her bright green eyes scanned the Jasper wolves and Kala felt a cold chill run down her spine. The she-wolf padded down to them, looking them over, scrutinizing them. Humphrey was silent as she examined the pack, simply maintaining eye contact with her until her exterior examination was completed. Finally, she stepped back and glared at Humphrey. His ears flattened and his eyes darted right and left, his paws shuffling a bit in nervousness.

"I am Veana," she said. Her voice carried power and authority. "I am Lieutenant Commander of Fenrir-War-Father. Come with me." She briskly turned tail and began to pad back up the slope to the cave from whence she came. Humphrey blinked and looked back at the pack.

"Well, she's quite assertive," Scourge growled.

"What the hell is 'Lieutenant Commander'?" Garth inquired, incredulous to her claim. Scourge shrugged. Kerrigan and Taylor did not seem to know either. Humphrey glared ahead.

"Well we're not going to get any answers here," he said. "Come on, let's go." They nodded and followed Humphrey up the slope. Winston was falling behind, panting heavily, his breaths coming out in short and ragged hasps. Marcel did not seem to be faring much better either. Lily and Iris looked back at the two, concerned. Lily fell behind and supported her father, helping him up. Iris simply smacked the back of Marcel's head and told him to move faster.

Veana waited at the top, her tail wrapped around her paws as the wolves approached slowly. Her claws clicked against the stone in a steady, impatient rhythm. They walked into the cave behind her, following the she-wolf deep into the core of the mountain.

Light could be seen up ahead, an orange glow cast on the chamber walls. Finally, the tunnels opened into a massive, subterranean cavern. Stalagmites hung from the cave ceiling far above. A large stone podium rested in the center of the chamber, thousands of rows of rocks around it to accommodate the countless wolves in Fenrir's army. Small fires burned around the cavern to provide light, wolves coming in with burning sticks to light small patches of sticks and leaves on fire. In the center sat Fenrir, the wolf god conversing heatedly with several other wolves.

More and more wolves began filing into the cavern from numerous tunnels and smaller, adjacent caves that dotted the surface of the mountain. Humphrey directed the Jasper wolves to situate themselves somewhere else in the cavern. Kala, however, he told to stay. She was surprised but did not object. As he was leaving, Faolan licked her cheek affectionately. She smiled at him as he joined the others in finding their seating. Humphrey led her toward Fenrir, the large wolf now talking with Veana. She gestured to them and Fenrir turned to look upon Humphrey and Kala. A small, ghost of a smile appeared on his muzzle.

"My friends," he rumbled, padding to them. "I am most pleased that you made it. Pray tell, have you found the Pack of the Winter Mountains?"

"No, War-Father," Humphrey sighed, defeated. "We ran into many complications along the way, and it seems that it is impossible for us to find them; assuming, of course, that the pack even exists anymore." Fenrir nodded solemnly.

"Once this is over," he promised, placing a massive paw upon Humphrey's brow. "I will accompany your pack in search of the Winter Mountains. I swear it, my young grey friend." Humphrey nodded in appreciation toward Fenrir's generosity. "For now, however, we must assemble our Contingency." With that, he threw back his head and howled into the night, his voice echoing throughout the mountains. Immediately, the rest of the wolves began to file into the cavern to stand at attention. Fenrir leapt upon the highest point of the stone pedestal in the center. To his left was Veana, then Humphrey to his right, and Kala to Humphrey's.

Fenrir's eyes scanned the crowd. Mothers quietly scolded their pups when they refused to behave and be silent. The majority of the males seemed to sit straighter in attention, about half of the she-wolves doing this as well.

"Friends," Fenrir began, looking about at them. "Family, allies. Thank you for attending this Contingency."

"What is this all about?" One barked. There were murmurs of agreement throughout the crowd at the wolf's question.

"As you all know," Fenrir replied. "For the third time in fifty millennia, our worst fears have been realized: the Markers have risen. A malicious wolf of the former Jagged Ice pack by the name of Saren has gathered an army of evil wolves in a dark organization called the 'Black Blood Wolves.' My intelligence units have informed me that the Black Bloods have found the second of the Markers, a Blue Marker. My allies across the oceans have disposed of the Green Marker. It is up to us to stop Saren and destroy the Blue and Grey Markers, or life as we know it, this entire world as we know it, will fall to the bloody claws of the necromorphs, as it has with the first rising of the Black Marker nearly seven hundred centuries ago.

"Our army is of many. We have approximately three thousand wolves to combat this threat, as well as the assistance of the Prophesied One: The Great Wolf, who has also proven himself to be the all-powerful Grey of which the Ancients speak of. Humphrey, come here." Humphrey nodded and tried to make himself look less nervous than he truly was.

At the sight of the Omega, many of the wolves groaned in despair or laughed mockingly at him. He flattened his ears in embarrassment, hating the feeling of being laughed at and taunted so ruthlessly. Fenrir pushed Humphrey forward and growled into his ear to say something. Panicking, he could only muster the courage to stutter two words: "Um…h-hello."

The crowd burst out into a hysterical raucous, some of the wolves rolling around in laughter. Humphrey felt like he should crawl in a hole and never come out. Kala looked at her father in sorrow; how could these wolves be so terrible to him? She would not stand for it, she never would stand for it! She leapt atop the rock and snarled viciously at them. Some of the wolves jeered at her as well until Fenrir's howl silenced them.

"My father," Kala growled. "Has led my pack and raised me for years, even after the loss of his mate in an attack by humans. He has fought Saren firsthand, and he has destroyed the Red Marker by the power of his own two paws. I will vouch for my father and Leaderwolf with this," she held the Basilisk fang in the air for them to see. "I have slain the Lord of Snakes, the Basilisk with the assistance of my father, a feat that no wolf in history has ever been able to do. Now, are you all going to stand around like idiotic pups, or will you prove your worth and fight beside us?"

Kala was just as surprised by herself as the Jasper wolves were. Even Fenrir seemed to be stunned by her courage. Humphrey stared at her, agape at her outburst. She paid him no mind.

"My father is the Legend of the Grey, the Great Wolf who will destroy the Markers and bring peace to Wolf Kind. Unless you feel like dying by the claws of hideous monstrosities, I suggest you shut the fuck up and listen to what he has to say!" The wolves began to silence from the force of her words and vulgarities. Mothers, however, looked at her coldly, pressing their paws to the ears of their pups; they did not wish them to hear the cursing terms so early in their puphood. Kala stepped back and nodded to her father. Humphrey walked forward, hardening himself; if his young, two year old daughter could do something so brave, then surely Humphrey, who was already in his fifth year, could do so as well!

"Saren is holding many Black Bloods against their will," he spoke, forcing his voice to project to the thousands of wolves in the cavern. "Friends, family, and other packs that we could possibly turn toward our cause. My young pups are held captive there as well, and many more could be too. Every moment we wait, they come closer to raising the Blue Marker and bring back the Black Marker from the sea."

"Why can't they raise it?" A she-wolf questioned.

"My own intelligence," he said carefully. "Has informed me that the Black Bloods are at work excavating a cave in that halted the Marker from rising and being activated. I know not where their progress is as of now."

"What of the humans?" One wolf asked. It was a dark-brown furred male. A long scar ran down his left eye, the empty socket glaring at him. "I hear that their territory called the United States has fallen and survivors are being pursued north."

Humphrey's eyes widened at this statement. This could only complicate matters if it was true. The humans had already destroyed enough; what would happen if they encountered them once more?

"We will meet that problem when or if it actually occurs," Fenrir rumbled. "For now, we must focus on Saren."

"There are thousands of Black Blood wolves," Humphrey continued, looking about at them. "They may be vicious, and they may aim to kill, but we've fought enough of them to know they are only effective in groups. They are not good at fighting, though numbers can be overwhelming and easily overpower us. But if we stand together, and if we face this threat head on, as one, then we can persevere and end this, once and for all."

"That is all for now," Fenrir said. "I will meet with the war leaders personally later. For now, get some food and some rest. We leave at the next nightfall."

 ****A/N: Thanks to the dark shadow, imjustlikehumphrey, The-crazy-lone-wolf77, Alexander, Someone who isn't important and LilyAndMe for reviewing my last chapter! Expect more frequent updates! Until next time! :D****

 ****-The Dishonored Wolf****


	15. The Last Day of Normality

15\. The Last Day of Normality

"I suppose this is it, Taylor," Kerrigan murmured, looking around the walls of the solitary den on the far side of the mountain. Every pack had been given their own den to reside in, and as the last survivors of the War-Eye Clan, they were given a small den to themselves. A rock cave, illuminated by a small fire burning off the side to provide an orange glow of light was where they sat. Kerrigan sat to the right, Taylor to the left, the two looking outside at the glimmering stars above. Taylor, however, was staring at Kerrigan instead.

His eyes scanned every curve of her slender body, resting upon her pristine face, staring at the red Spirit Markings on her eyes, the feather that gave her such striking, native beauty, and finally, her eyes, of which he could become lost in. Since he'd first laid eyes upon the she-wolf, he'd desired nothing more than to be with her. It tore at his heart to see her with Owllyker, yet he cared for her, and if she was happy with him…then so be it. No matter how he felt toward her, she could never possibly feel the same toward him. After Owllyker's death, he selfishly contemplated the attempt of winning her heart, but he was fearful for losing her companionship as friends in doing so. Now, however, things were different. Only one more night remained before the army went to battle against the Black Bloods. Not a single wolf in the army-save for Fenrir, of course-had ever fought so many fanatical, religiously driven, evil wolves. They would fight with power of the Dark Realm's demon spirits themselves to protect their Marker, and Taylor knew in his heart that they could both very well die and never see one another again.

Kerrigan noticed his gaze and looked back at him, their eyes meeting. The stars glimmered beautifully in her eyes, Taylor's heart beating faster at the mere sight of the goddess-like she-wolf. He padded to her slowly, instinctually. Kerrigan did the same. Their chests pressed against one another, their noses millimeters away from meeting. She knew as well as he did that they may never see each other again. The thought made her glassy eyes water, tears rolling down her face. He brought up a paw and gently wiped the tears away, never breaking his gaze from hers.

"Kerrigan," he whispered to her. "I love you." Her eyes widened, the fire reflecting in them as she stared at him in pure shock. She was clearly taken aback by his declaration of his feelings toward him. She broke out into a large grin and she rammed her muzzle against his.

"I love you too, Taylor," she said confidently. He nuzzled her, pulling her into an affectionate embrace. He wanted nothing more than to be with her forever, for this special moment to last an eternity. Then, a thought came to mind. One that Kerrigan, to his dismay, would probably not quite like.

"Kerrigan," he said, backing her into the den. "I want nothing more than to be with you forever and to…to make you my mate." She seemed startled by this and looked progressively more nervous.

"I…I don't know, Taylor. That seems a bit much right now." Taylor felt stung by this. She noticed his look and she continued. "I can't betray Owllyker, Taylor. He meant so much to me…I just don't know if it would be right for us to do this."

"Please Kerrigan," he pleaded her, his eyes begging her. "We may never see each other again. Please, just for this night, this one moment… please, be my mate." She looked into his eyes and buried her face in his chest fur. He held her and licked behind her ear softly. She pulled him unexpectedly on top of her and into the darker recesses of the den. He grinned ruefully, Kerrigan smiling as well. She kicked sand on the floor of the den over the fire, snuffing the flames and creating total darkness, the shadows enveloping the two wolves.

It was not long before they had finished having their way with one another, the two resting together on the floor of the den. Kerrigan panted heavily, Taylor holding her close and protectively, his tail wrapping around hers, his arms tightly hugging her. The two wolves had never felt so alive and so in love in their young lives. He pulled away from her, eliciting a small gasp from the she-wolf. Tears now streamed down her face, though not tears of sadness. He licked them away, the she-wolf smiling broadly at him, her eyes shutting. He nuzzled her softly and the two shared a long kiss, knowing that it very well may have been the last one they'd ever have together.

**Kala**

She gasped in ecstasy, leaning back and arching her back as Faolan kissed her neck gently. Though they had become intimate in this lonely alcove, hiding from her father, she had incessantly refused to take part in mating with him. Her tail remaining tucked between her legs over her belly, preventing him from doing so if he so chose to take advantage of her. Several times within the course of their intimacy, he had, indeed, made attempts to mate with Kala, but each time, she would growl and bite his muzzle, kicking at his belly to get him away. It became apparent to him that she was not a she-wolf to be trifled with. He apologized sincerely for his behavior, Kala accepting his apologies with a curt nod and a cold glare. He was obviously too used to the whorish she-wolves of Jagged Ice. He would learn, however, that she was no Jagged Ice slut like he was so used to. She was Kala, daughter of Kate the Alpha and Humphrey the Omega Leaderwolf, the Great Wolf, and the Grey. She was the sole survivor of her litter, and no wolf under any circumstance would or could use her.

Kala purred in delight, Faolan smiling from her response. He tried to kiss down her neck once more, but she pushed him off and sat up, stretching her limbs. She looked at him and one thought went through her mind: she wanted nothing more than to be the loving mate of this wolf. She did not, necessarily speaking, want to mate with him any time soon, nor did she want to become a mother for two or three years. She did, however, desire a life companion, and she saw a mate in the eyes of Faolan. He lay down and looked up at her, Kala securing the Basilisk fang back around her neck where it belonged. She adjusted the violet flower and blinked.

"We could both die tomorrow," Faolan said. She did not meet his gaze. How could she when death was so certain? It was as though fate condemned them to a fate that would result in her death, or possibly his. What she'd do if she lost him she knew not. At least, however, she knew that she'd have her father and her pack. Then, the terrible thought occurred to her: what if she did not have them?

What if they all died in the battle? What if Saren activated his Marker and summoned more necromorphs? Even worse, what if he brought back the Black Marker like he was trying to do? If he was able to do so, then the entire planet was doomed to fall into darkness. The necromorphs were powerful. They were vicious, bloodthirsty, monstrous…and they would not stop until they killed everything in sight or they were killed before they could have a chance at doing so. What was the point of going forth to battle if the war only resulted in their deaths?

She sighed and draped her body over Faolan's, resting her head on his neck. She closed her eyes and exhaled as he nuzzled her. She began to reflect upon her life, upon what she had become. Not too long ago she'd been showing signs of becoming an Omega. She was playing, having fun, loved by the pack, cracking jokes…now, she was serious, in a type of depression, and was as Alpha as her biological mother had been. Jagged Ice changed her, she was sure. Had she'd been smart enough to look ahead before Saren impaled her, they could have killed him! Oh, how she'd been so stupid! It was all her fault that he had escaped, all her fault that the Black Blood army had been summoned! Now she would surely cause the deaths of countless good wolves, possibly even the very planet itself.

Faolan noticed how distraught she was and looked at her. She opened her amber eyes and stared into his blue eyes. She preferred it when they were green. He still had to explain to her what this "indoctrination" was, and why it changed the color of his eyes in such a way.

"This may be our last chance Kala," he murmured. She sighed and nibbled on his ear.

"Last chance to what?" She asked him.

"Our last chance to be married," he replied. She stopped, frozen by the prospect of marriage with him. Of course, they had been discussing becoming mates for many moons, but the timing never seemed to be right, and Humphrey's continued disliking for the Jagged Ice wolf made it all the more complicated to actually become mates in the first place. She climbed off of him and sat away, looking down. He stood and padded over to her cautiously. He was, as always, trying to read her.

Kala had many thoughts run through her mind in that moment. She wanted to become mates with Faolan, but Humphrey would surely never have it. He nuzzled her neck and she turned to him, tears brimming in her eyes.

"I don't know what to do, Faolan," she whimpered. "My father…he won't let us become mates, no matter how much he loves me. He doesn't trust you, nor does he like you for that matter. I want to be your mate, but everything is against us, even him." She was saddened, downcast. Faolan hated it when she was sad.

"Then I will talk to him," he whispered. Before she had the chance to object, he had already darted through the catacombs of tunnels to the Jasper Den, to request Humphrey for Kala's paw in marriage. Kala sprinted after him and leapt upon his back, pinning him to the ground. He laughed and looked up at her with a sheepish smile. She was not amused.

"My father will maim you if you come near him," she hissed. "And he'll kill you if you ask to marry me!"

"Is there hurt in at least trying, Kala?" Faolan asked, exasperated. "It's as clear as day that we wish to be married; everyone in the pack already knows it! Why would it be so bad to ask him for your paw? Do…do you not feel that way anymore?" He flattened his ears to his skull in sadness and Kala licked his face affectionately.

"Of course I want to be your mate, Faolan," she cooed, gently licking his neck fur. His ears shot up and his tail wagged as she said this, and he began to smile as she licked his neck fur. "But I'm afraid that my father won't approve of us together."

"Kala," he said, sliding out from underneath her to look her in the eyes. "We can't become mates without the blessing of your parents. If we were to defy that law, we would be disowned and he would be forced to throw us out of the pack. This is the only way, my love. Please…at least let me try." Kala looked into his eyes and sighed, pressing against his chest, Faolan holding her closely.

"Just don't piss him off," she murmured. "You wouldn't like it when my father is mad. Especially when it comes to his family."

**Humphrey**

Humphrey was sitting at the entrance of the private den he shared with Kacey looking out over the mountains. In the distance, the jagged shape of the Black Blood stronghold could be seen. The Blue Marker would rise from that mountain and all hell would be unleashed upon the world if they did not stop Saren in time. His daughters, his beloved young'uns, were still trapped and held in the iron clutches of the Black Bloods. They had already lost Ryker, their only son, and for that they would pay dearly, but for the murder of Salty, Owllyker, and the pupknapping of his daughters would seal their fates in death. He longed to see them, to hold the two she-pups in his paws once more, but knew that they would have to fight every step of the way to reach them. They would not be pups anymore, however; they would be young she-wolves. Their fur may have changed, or the Black Bloods might have disguised them in some different form and forced them to join their ranks so they would accidentally kill them as well. He vigorously shook his head after that thought; it was terrifying to think of.

He felt a prickling sensation on his right leg, just above his paw, and he looked down. The bracelet Kate had given him so long ago was still there, wrapped tightly around his ankle. A twig was poking into his leg, so he gently pulled it off to adjust the twig back into position. He lied on the ground, delicately intertwining the twigs, reed strands, and fur in place, securing them tightly. The tail furs of Kala, the claw of Kacey, the violet flower petals of Kate, all three encased in amber to protect them from the harmful ravages of time. The bracelet looked visually brilliant, each piece fitting together into his family. Suddenly, something on the bracelet caught his eye. He scrutinized the amber pieces and noticed, to his shock and amazement, that on the right amber, a picture of him was carved delicately into the surface. On the left was a picture of Kate. The amber in the center, however, was even more intricate. A heart was carved into the surface, with four small images that he presumed were pups carved around the heart, a howling wolf in the center of the heart.

Tears sprang to his eyes when he saw this. The final memory of Kate was encased herein this bracelet. He scented it carefully and the sweet, beautiful scent of his beloved first mate still, after so many years, lingered in the bracelet's intertwining pieces. Memories and emotions began to fly through his conscience, images of the good times and the bad, but each and every memory was of her, and his mind, body, and soul howled with her radiance. He slid the bracelet back into place over his paw, looking down at it in wonder. Even in death, he knew that Kate would always be with him.

Looking back at Kacey, he saw her staring at his bracelet. She knew that he was thinking of Kate. He looked into her eyes and saw obvious hurt in them. She was jealous of his love and devotion toward his first mate. To his regret, he did reluctantly agree that he could never love Kacey the way he loved Kate. However, that did not deter his feelings for Kacey either. He loved them both unconditionally, and he'd die readily for the both of them. He padded toward her and nuzzled her softly, Kacey leaning against him, sighing gently.

He began to pick up a scent, one that was familiar but that he didn't like. He drew away from Kacey and looked back at the entrance to see Faolan standing there, looking a bit awkward after seeing their affectionate embrace. Humphrey glowered, the resentment and disliking toward the blue-grey wolf radiating from his being like the fires of the sun itself. Kacey watched the two silently. Faolan, to his astonishment, did not leave despite that he'd seen Kacey and Humphrey's affection, as well as the fact that even a dumb human could tell that Humphrey did not want to see Faolan around.

"Is this a bad time?" He asked sincerely. Humphrey was about to speak, but Kacey cut him off.

"Of course not, Faolan," she said cheerily. Humphrey shot her a cold glare, Kacey returning the look with a smug smile. He growled and looked back at Faolan.

"What do you want, Black Blood?" He snarled. The accusation caused Faolan to wince. Kacey growled warningly at Humphrey.

"I am no Black Blood, Leaderwolf Humphrey," Faolan said, padding carefully forward. "I am only a wolf, and I respect you and all other members of your pack as well as Fenrir's army."

"That wasn't an answer to my question, dipshit," Humphrey growled, his claws unsheathing and clicking on the stone below him. "Answer me, dammit."

"Let him talk, Humphrey," Kacey growled hotly.

"Humphrey Leaderwolf," Faolan said, bowing to him in a submissive posture. He flattened his body to the ground and dug one side of his face to the stone earth, looking him in the eyes. "I am in love with you daughter, Kala, and she is in love with me. I came here out of good faith to become your friend…as well as become your son in law."

Humphrey's eyes shot open; he was stunned. For a moment, he did not know how to react. Even Kacey was taken aback by Faolan's display of submission, as well as his declaration of love for Kala and asking for her paw in marriage.

Humphrey looked down at him, contemplating his response. Though he did not fully trust him, he knew that Kala loved him dearly and he made her happy. He had never done anything to wrong Humphrey or his pack and he was, indeed, a good wolf. He sighed.

**Kala**

Faolan returned and she sprang to her paws.

"What did he say?" She asked him, her eyes full of worry. He looked down at her, downcast, sad, defeated. She averted her gaze; she knew that he was going to reject Faolan. Suddenly, he pressed his lips to hers in a hard, passionate kiss.

"We get married within the hour," he whispered. She was giddy with excitement as he kissed her, the rituals running through her mind. She pulled away before they became too intimate and Humphrey called off the wedding.

"Well then," she giggled. "I guess I should go get ready for my big night with my big wolffriend; actually, mate."

 ****A/N: Well, there's another chapter! May not have been very action packed, but it sets the stage! I really wanted to go into the final moments of normality between the characters before the war. If you have any family members or friends that have gone to war, you know how much it truly changes them. This is no different. They want happiness and prosperity for the moment, a chance to be who they truly are before the war, before the all-too-real reality that they could be killed.****

 ****I have re-scripted everything for the story from this point on. Many found Wolves of the Darkness to be a bit of a letdown in larger comparison to Into the Darkness with the unpredictability of the first book, the dark tone, the mystery, adventure, and character personalities. This is not going to be as long of a story as the first two books. In word length, I'm predicting it'll be around the length of Into the Darkness. I'm sorry that it will be shorter, but I promise it'll be quite worth your time.****

 ****Be prepared for what is possibly the most emotional experience you'll ever encounter. If you've connected emotionally to any of the characters so far, then prepare yourself for what is to come. There can be no denying that wolves will die. Some of your favorite OCs will die. Some of your favorite characters from the movie will die. The story doesn't have much longer to go.****

 ****The last chapter is already written. I read it through and played the song I wanted to have play while it happens and I was bawling like a small child. It was even more emotional than the death of Kate in Into the Darkness. The end of the story has a certain beauty to it, and I believe it is a fitting ending to this trilogy.****

 ****Anyhow, thank you to Dawn Walker Wolf, Alexander, LilyAndMe, and the dark shadow for reviewing my last chapter! Until next time!****

 ****-The Dishonored Wolf****


	16. Marriage and Freedom

16\. Marriage and Freedom

 ****A/N: Go on Youtube and look this up: Mass Effect 3 Soundtrack: Grunt's Last Stand. Click that video and keep it paused until I give you the cue. Enjoy the chapter! :D****

Collette was on edge, Kate could sense it. Despite her attempts to mask her emotions from the two young she-wolves, Kate was still able to tell that Collette was not acting normally. Perhaps, she reasoned, it was due to Luna's activities with Saren. She was hardened now, scarred, hardly seen without tears in her fur and blood on her flank, the acrid reek of blood in the air around her. Death had now become part of her permanent scent. When Kate spoke to her, trying in vain to find some part of her sister, she felt like she was speaking to a demon. Luna was no more than a haunted shell of a soul, hardly even recognizable as the same she-wolf that Kate had known all of her short life. She spoke of indoctrination, of the Marker, of the "Holy Necromorphs," and she even spoke of how the Longfangs were sacred to the world. Had she turned into a Mad Wolf as well? How in the name of Lupus could a Longfang, the monstrous abomination of a creature created by the terrible, evil humans, ever be sacred?

It had occurred to Kate that her sister was lost forever. Though it brought sadness and pain to her already-heavy heart, she had to face the facts: Luna was now Saren's Black Blood pawn, hardly even her sister anymore. It wasn't even worth her time anymore to try and get back the she-wolf that used to be her beloved sister. She was already lost in Saren's indoctrination. There was no point. No matter how many times Kate would talk about their pack, their family, all the fun games they would play in their youth and how Kala would always be the best big sister in the world, Luna would not listen to her. She was lost forever to the Marker.

Kate recalled the time she went to her sister and nuzzled her, yipping like a pup and wagging her tail excitedly, trying to elicit a response from Luna that would prove her sister was still alive. Luna stood calmly, her eyes unwavering and locked on her face. Her voice was flat, nothing more than a dull monotone. It was horrible. It was as though she wasn't even speaking to a wolf anymore, but some dead soul in the form of her sister. It tore at Kate's heart to see her sister like this. That night, she bawled like a pup, Collette cooing to her and trying to calm her down but unable to do anything to help the young she-wolf. Kate looked out of the corner of her eye to her sister, hoping to see some remnant of her sister back again. She just stared at her, emotionless, nothing but an empty soul. She wouldn't even reply to Kate when she cried for her. She just kept murmuring her Marker language. She wouldn't even make eye contact with Kate. She left that night, returning in the dawn with dark blood on her face.

The only thing that was keeping Kate sane was Marcel's frequent visits during the night. After Luna snuck out to see Saren, Kate would sneak to the ledges and meet with Marcel. He would keep her up to date with what was going on with the Jasper wolves, how they were doing, details on their whereabouts, et cetera. He would also ferry messages between the Jasper wolves, mostly Kala, Humphrey, and Kacey, and her. Marcel was careful to make sure that they were all well informed that Kate's appearance had changed by unexplained circumstances and forces they did not understand. As she was told, they were all shocked by her change in appearance, though Kacey was delighted that her daughter had inherited genes that made the two similar in appearance. Kate did not tell Marcel, however, that Luna was part of the Black Bloods. He frequently asked about her to ensure that she was safe, but Kate said she did not know about her whereabouts, only that she'd been taken somewhere inside the mountain. It was not fully a lie; she was, indeed, with Saren in the mountain, but she couldn't tell Marcel that. She didn't have the heart to.

Kate had not seen Marcel in three days, and it was beginning to worry her. She did not hear any of the Black Bloods speak of him, nor did she find any traces that he may have been captured or killed by them, though it didn't stop her from worrying herself sick about him. Now that everything was going so badly, she was even more fearful. If they had managed to capture him and successfully interrogate him, they could have valuable information that would compromise the Jasper wolves and Fenrir's army.

It was not secret that the Black Bloods were preparing for war. Metal claws were donned on their paws, masks on their faces. They were training, fighting, readying themselves to fight off Fenrir's army and protect their Blue Marker. Kate was, quite shockingly, free to go as she pleased. The Black Bloods made sure that she did not leave the mountain, but she was able to go through the caves, tunnels, and chambers in the mountain, as well as anywhere else she chose. This allowed her the opportunity to explore the Marker Chamber. She was careful not to get too close to it, else the effects of indoctrination harm her as well. She had no intention of becoming a mindless slave of Saren, a gaunt shell of a wolf like her sister.

The Black Bloods had excavated the majority of the rubble blocking the Marker's raising. All that remained were several large boulders. Once they were cleared, the Marker would rise and activate the Grey Marker, the two coming together to bring the Black Marker back from the depths of the sea in the south. She was intent on finding a way to stop that from happening, but she knew indoctrination was beginning to affect her judgment as well.

"Kate," Collette hissed. She looked over the she-wolf that had once been Scourge's mate and padded over. She looked around frantically, assuring herself that no other wolves were around to hear her. 'Whatever she is about say,' Kate reasoned, 'must be very important.' "Listen closely, young wolf. The forces of Fenrir will invade this place soon, within a matter of a few moon rises. I will die, that is certain."

"But you can't die!" Kate wailed. Collette slammed her muzzle shut, looking around. She hissed at Kate to be quieter. She nodded. "Collette, you're all that kept me alive these moons! Please, you can't die!"

"I am no warrior, Kate; as much as I regret to admit it, I cannot fight," she looked down sorrowfully. "I was only a Leaderwolf because I was heir to my parents, who were the previous Alphas. They taught me to be ruthless, cold, unsociable. That is why I was so horrible to Nicholas. If I didn't act like a Leaderwolf, then I would not be one. I never fought before, I am not strong enough. We are going to war, and you must realize that I cannot survive if they come here. They will purge the Black Bloods or die trying, and with Fenrir's help, they will most definitely succeed.

"I tell you this now, Kate, so I may save you, to commit one good deed before I die. When the final battle begins, I will do my best to save you. I know a way to get off this mountain. While the bulk of Saren's forces are engaged with Fenrir's, I will take you to their army. They will kill me, or the Black Bloods will see my deceit and kill me. Whatever happens, if I die, do not look back. Understood?"

Kate looked at the she-wolf of whom she'd began to befriend these past moons with tears in her eyes. She already lost her packmates, Sweets and Salty; she'd been taken from her pack, her young brother had been brutally murdered, and her sister was now a Black Blood. How could she bear to lose a close friend now? She pressed herself against Collette, weeping, the she-wolf holding her. Whatever happened next, Kate knew that it would only end in tragedy for many.

"This night is horrible," Kate whimpered.

**Kala**

"This is a great and wonderful night," Winston proclaimed in his rasping, elder voice. He sat atop a rock, using it as a pedestal. At Kala's request, her grandfather graciously and thankfully accepted to marry off Faolan and Kala. Kala was sitting behind the rocks many meters away, waiting for Winston to declare that the wedding would begin. Faolan sat before Winston, sitting with a straight, firm posture. She could tell he was immensely excited, though he kept a straight, serious face the whole time. She looked at him in admiration, though she herself was as nervous as she'd ever been in her life.

Kacey had tended to Kala for the first time since they'd fought the panther in the northern mountains. Kacey herself had a ritual in her former pack where the she-wolf in the marriage was to be given the Mark of Lupa – a wading crescent moon upon her heart. She looked absolutely incredible, the 'pinnacle of beauty' as Kacey so tenderly put it. Despite her looks and her father's blessing, she was racked with nervousness. She was terrified she'd somehow screw up, or that she would look like a fool in front of everyone, especially Faolan. Her heart beat like the hooves of a thousand caribou in stampede.

A familiar scent wafted near her and she turned to see Humphrey padding toward her. For the first time in moons, he was actually smiling. It was a smile like no other, one that she had never seen before. It was truly…happy. 'It must be his Omega smile,' she thought. 'The one that I was told about before the days of the Great War.' He nuzzled his daughter tenderly, licking her cheek with affection. They pulled away and looked into each other's eyes.

"You're just like your mother," he whispered. Kala smiled sadly and licked his cheek.

"Thank you, Dad," she said, pressing against him. He held his daughter in a tight embrace, her scent filling his nostrils; it was almost exactly like Kate's. Ever since Kala was born, she reminded him of his first mate, always keeping her memory alive within him. It brought tears to his eyes to know that his daughter, his little pup, was all grown up.

"Kala, I still don't know if I can trust Faolan; at least not yet," he told her. She nodded in understanding. "But I see how happy he makes you, and I can't deny your happiness forever. You're a full grown she-wolf now, and if he's the one you choose…then so be it. It's just…just so hard to let my little she-pup go…"

She looked at him with soft eyes, nuzzling her father. Though she may have not been with him for a long time, and though he may have been a distanced and odd father, she could not think of another being in the world that she was closer to. She loved him with every fiber of her being, and she knew that no matter what happened, they would always be together, no matter what. They would survive the war, and they would be a happy family in their pack.

"Dad," she murmured. He looked at her, his eyes beginning to brim with tears. She licked his muzzle. "No matter what happens tomorrow, I will always be your pup. I will never leave you, Daddy!" She released a choked sob and the two embraced one last time, their tears streaking into their fur pelts. When their tears ceased to flow, Humphrey licked the streaks from her face and adjusted the flower behind her ear, looking admirably and proudly at his daughter.

Winston called out for the ceremony to begin and Kala could see Faolan look towards the rocks where she and Humphrey stood. Her father looked at her, a wry smile plastered upon his lips. He gently led Kala out of the rocks and toward the ceremony meeting place, the wolves looking at the two with large smiles. Lily was perhaps smiling the broadest of them all, tears streaking her snow-white face. She was the closest she-wolf that Kala had to a birth mother, always caring for Kala before Humphrey revealed to her who he truly was. Garth looked at her proudly as well, sitting beside Lily, watching her.

Kerrigan and Taylor sat off to the side, smiling at her as well. A musky aroma surrounded the two; it didn't take a genius to figure out what the two had been doing earlier. Kala smirked slyly at the two, eliciting a small giggle from Kerrigan. Scourge, Kala's friend, guardian, and second uncle-figure, watched her as well. He tried, she could tell, to keep a straight, neutral expression, but could not fully suppress a small grin as he watched Kala. Kala blinked at him in gratitude, the dark wolf dipping his head to her. Kacey sat behind Faolan, her dark pink eyes staring at her proudly. Though she was not a biological mother to Kala, and though she was not like Lily was to her in Kala's early moons of life, she was a great friend and a wonderful stepmother. Beside Winston were Marcel and Iris. The old goose and the youthful pintail looked down at her, broad grins on their faces. Odd as it was to see fowl in a pack of wolves, she considered the birds to be as much family as any other wolf in her pack. Winston himself, stricken with age, white hairs streaking his formerly grey pelt, had a glint in his eyes as he watched her, a smile on his lips. As his only granddaughter, he could not be prouder of her. And then, of course, there was Faolan. The blue-grey wolf was exceptionally handsome, smiling at his mate-to-be widely as she padded toward him. She could see Humphrey force a smile at him. She rolled her eyes in amusement at him and they took their places, Kala sitting before Faolan. He blinked at her, forcing his smile away as Winston conducted the ceremony.

"Friends," he began, looking out over them. "As well as family; we are here on this night to have what is undoubtedly one of the greatest ceremonies that a wolf can experience. Tonight, we witness the marriage of Faolan Jagged Ice, and Kala Star Wolf." There were howls of approval from the small crowd, even Marcel and Iris joining in their own mock-howl impressions. Winston grinned at them.

"Faolan, wolf of Jagged Ice," Winston rumbled. Faolan's gaze never wavered from Kala. "Do you accept Kala, she-wolf of Jasper Park, as your beloved mate; to protect her from harm, to be a loving and caring mate to her, and to stand by her side until the very end of time?" He smiled.

"I do," he said confidently.

"Kala Star Wolf, she-wolf of Jasper Park," he said, Kala straightening a bit. "Do you accept Faolan, wolf of Jagged Ice, as your beloved mate; to protect him from harm, to be a loving caring mate to him, and to stand by his side until the very end of time?"

"I do," she replied with equal confidence. A glint passed through Faolan's blue eyes, a happy smile creeping upon his lips despite his attempts to keep a serious expression for the duration. Winston nodded to them and the pack took three steps back from them as they continued with the ritual. Kala and Faolan began to sniff each other's flanks, inhaling their scents – it was the first step in the marriage ritual. Next, they began to lightly nibble each other's ears, the second step.

Now, finally, it was time for the final stage of the ritual. Faolan smiled at her and for a tantalizing moment, all that existed was Faolan and herself. They were in a vast expanse of emptiness, stars shining around them. All that she could see was him, her yearning to be with him overpowering her senses. Kala smiled back, forcing her tail to stay still; it was hard to keep it from uncontrollably wagging. He slowly padded closer to her, Kala following suite until they were face-to-face. Faolan began to lean forward, closing his eyes. She did so as well, craning her neck a bit to reach him. Time seemed to slow down for them, yet she could still feel her father's eyes staring at her; he was the proudest father in the world. Their noses touched, and the ceremony was sealed; they two wolves were now married.

The pack began to howl with delight and congratulations, their voices echoing across the den and out into the night. Faolan smiled and nuzzled her neck fur, Kala licking his ear. The two looked at each other lovingly, all evil in the world gone. All that existed was their love for one another.

**Humphrey**

He could not bear it; he could simply not bear it! Though he wished for his daughter to be happy, Humphrey could not cope with the fact that in giving Faolan his blessing for marriage, he had lost his daughter indefinitely to him. Despite that Kala had tried to reassure him that she'd always be his pup and always remain with him, he knew better. He recalled a conversation he'd once had with Winston before the Great War. He had said that the hardest part of his marriage with Kate as well as Lily's with Garth, was that Winston and Eve could no longer see their daughters. Winston looked at Humphrey in sympathy, but he could not return the stare. He had just lost his beloved first daughter, his only direct link to Kate after her untimely demise at the very end of the Great War.

"Do not mourn now," a voice spoke to him. At first, he thought it was Sam; he had not spoken with his Spirit Guide in moons. Then, he saw Scourge staring at him from across the den. Humphrey looked down. "Let her be happy for now."

"How can I let her be happy," Humphrey said, replying to him telepathically. "If I lose her forever?"

"She is your daughter," Scourge growled in a stern voice. "She will never leave you, that is a certainty that you must face. You will leave her one day, as all fathers leave their sons and daughters. It is just the course of life. "

Humphrey nodded and broke the telepathic link, looking after his daughter as Faolan led her away. His first instinct was to follow them and tear Faolan's throat out, but he knew better. Kala would surely not mate with him yet; she could be quite resistant against things she did not want to do, and she'd made it clear to her mate in the past that she had no current aspiration to become a mother. They would simply have fun as mates for the last time before the war began.

**Kate**

She heard the flutter of wings and Kate looked skyward. Iris and Marcel were flying overhead. She happily bounded to the ledge where they'd usually meet, the two birds landing. Well, to make it more correct, Marcel simply flopped on the ground heavily, gasping for air. The old, overweight goose was still not very good at long distance flying. Kate had told him on several occasions that if he left the hollowed log carrying his golfing clubs and rock balls behind, he'd be able to fly easier. Marcel, however, said that it was his duty to an old friend of his to carry his golfing supplies everywhere. He never, however, spoke of this 'friend,' and every time that she asked Iris about it, tears would leak from her one eye and she'd refuse to respond.

"Well, well, well, missy miss Kate!" Iris exclaimed. Kate grinned at Iris' odd way of speaking. "I see that you are all fine, looking different, really big, and Kacey-like!"

"It's good to see you too, Iris," Kate giggled embracing the two birds. They both squawked from being hugged too tightly.

"Well, Miss Kate," Marcel said when he regained his breath. "Tonight, is a happy night!"

"Why's that?" She asked inquisitively, tilting her head to the side.

"Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh!" Iris shouted, bouncing ecstatically. "Can I tell? Please big-grumpy-old-fat-ass Marcel?" The goose glared at her and smacked her upside the head with a wing for name she gave him.

"No, I will tell her you babbling idiot," Marcel spat. "Mademoiselle, your elder sister, Kala, has been married tonight!" Kate's jaw dropped, and, for some odd, inexplicable reason, she wanted to howl for her sister and embrace her, telling her how proud she was of her. However, she did not, for a brief instant, think of Kala as a sister, but as a _aughter. It was odd, quite odd indeed. "And we have discovered tunnels that lead out of this place and to the plains near the mountain that we are holed up at. Miss Kate, we are taking you home tonight!"

Kate let tears fall from her eyes from the sheer amount of happiness she felt. The two birds carefully led her to the other side of the mountain to a crevice in the rocks, leaping down into the tunnels. Pocket holes in the ground above provided pale light cast from the crescent moon to flood the tunnels. They moved quickly, the birds gliding lightly in the tunnels, Kate sprinting after them.

Suddenly, there was a feral snarl from behind them. The three turned to see Luna standing there. Marcel and Iris grinned with joy at the sight of Luna, but Kate knew better; they did not know that she was indoctrinated. Before Kate could scream for them to stop, Luna lunged and bit into Iris' neck, ripping the Life Blood from her. Marcel stared at her in shock as Iris looked at him and Kate sadly, bloody tears rolling from her eyes. Luna dug her claws into Iris' back jerked her head viciously, decapitating Iris, a torrent of blood spewing from the pintail's ruined neck.

"Run, Marcel, run!" Kate screamed, bolting back through the tunnels. Marcel followed as well, flying behind her. Luna was right on their tails, snarling and snapping at them. Black Blood wolves began to dig through the tunnels, scrambling for them. They ended up in a large chamber, a support strut keeping the ceiling from collapsing, a dark tunnel leading far behind it.

"Kate, go through the tunnel to the end!" Marcel ordered, an old veteran-like, grandfather goose coming over him. Kate looked at him, bewildered. "It leads straight to the mountain! Your pack is near the peak!"

"Our pack, Marcel!" Kate growled. "You're part of it, now come on, let's go!"

"Yes," Marcel murmured silently, tears falling from his old, feathered face. "Our pack. Kate, I cannot fly. This is where we depart."

"No, no I'm not leaving you!" Kate snarled, tears falling. He let the leg slide off his shoulders and onto the ground, drawing the club.

"Go, Kate!" He ordered. "NOW!" She looked at him sadly, tears streaming down her face. Without a word, she bolted into the tunnels. He stuck the support strut behind him and the ceiling began to collapse around them.

 ****A/N: Play the song now****

He placed a ball on the ground, narrowing his eyes. He put one foot forward, one back. He raised his wings in a practice swing of the club, glaring at the Black Bloods as they approached ever closer. He had three golf balls to use to his advantage before the tunnels collapsed. Luna had already bolted in the opposite direction, letting the fifteen or so Black Bloods do her own dirty work.

"My turn," Marcel whispered. "For Paddy." He struck one of the balls, the rock connecting with the temple of a Black Blood wolf, killing it instantly. He drew another and hit it, the ball flying into one's eye. It squished the eye back into its skull and it collapsed, howling bloody murder. A large chunk of earth struck Marcel's back, breaking his spine. He groaned and used his club for support as he drew the final ball.

He turned back and hit the ball forward, hitting the ceiling. Finally, the earth caved in on them, crushing the Black Blood wolves under its heavy weight and slamming Marcel to the ground. He tried in vain to drag himself forward, but could not move as the earth crumbled around him. One large piece fell and struck his skull. The last thing he saw was a brief glimpse of a young, British-accented duck watching him, counting a final birdie on a lonely tree in Idaho.

 ****A/N: This is the beginning of the end. The war shall now begin with the next chapter. Within the next ten or so chapters left of this story, you will see many elements present from Into the Darkness. These are elements that many seemed to have liked, and what I hope will bring your interest back to the story, along with the war that is ensuing.****

 ****As a request, I would like for you all to post the name or names of the characters, OCs I created or movie characters still alive, that you have emotionally connected with. This will not in any way affect the outcome of the story, I am simply curious to know if I was successful in making any of these characters throughout the trilogy emotionally connectable. ****

 ****Thank you to Dawn Walker Wolf, Crowwolf, imjustlikehumphrey, MoonTrekerAF, Alexander, the dark shadow, and LilyAndMe for reviewing my last chapter. Until next time!****

 ****-The Dishonored Wolf****


	17. Freedom, Justice, Survival

17\. Freedom, Justice, Survival

 ****A/N: Go on Youtube and look up this song: Mass Effect 3 Soundtrack: A Future for the Krogan. I hope you enjoy this chapter!****

Kala opened her eyes wearily, exhaustion coursing through her every limb. The scent of musk hung heavily in the air. Kerrigan and Taylor were laying less than two taillengths away. Kala smiled at the two happy War-Eye wolves. Ahead, Humphrey and Kacey were curled together, Lily and Garth the same several wolf-lengths away from them. Winston lay on the cool stone, breathing in long, shallow gasps. She pitied her grandfather; he was an old wolf, his life drawing to a close. He'd already volunteered to stay behind on the mountain with the nursing mothers, the elders, and the pups while everyone else fought the Black Bloods. He knew as well as anyone else that he did not have the strength to fight anymore. He was simply too old. Looking around, she searched for Faolan, but something was on top of her, keeping her pinned and immobile. She grinned and looked up to see her mate draped lazily over her. She giggled at the face he was making in his deep slumber, but did not try to move him. Surprising as it was, she actually enjoyed the weight on her – perhaps she was too blinded by love to care about it.

She vaguely remembered the events of the night prior. It all seemed like such a blur; events speeding by faster than the Traveling Spirits. After the marriage, she and Faolan ran about playfully around the mountain. He courted her and made her smile and grin shyly; blushing underneath her fur by the things he said to her and the things he did for her that night. Needless to say, he treated Kala like a goddess, loving her beyond her wildest imaginations. She could not imagine a single living being she'd rather be with in that moment, or any moment for that matter. When they had returned later that night, they had howled with the pack as Marcel and Iris flew off, claiming they had a masterful plan to extract Kate and Luna from the imprisonment of the Black Bloods. Evidently, they had not yet returned to the mountain yet. Perhaps something had gone wrong, and their plan did not work? No, it was Marcel and Iris! Kala had known the birds nearly all her life, and she was not going to let herself believe that anything bad had happened to two of her closest friends in the whole world.

Faolan yawned and blinked open his eyes, looking down at her. Kala smiled and looked back at him, Faolan grinning and nibbling her ear. He gently grinded his body against hers, but instantly regretted the forceful foreplay when she delivered a swift kick to his wolfhood. His face contorted, and she smiled deviously at him. He gulped and held back tears as she kicked twice more. As always, Kala would make sure that he knew just what she thought of forced mating. He flopped off of her, clutching in that area as she stood up. She caught Humphrey's eye, an amused smile on his face and a glint in his eye. She truly was the daughter of Kate when it came to that kind of treatment, and just like Kate, she had inherited whatever messed up gene was in Eve to make her so abnormally violent. In this case, however, Humphrey was perfectly fine with Kala's treatment of Faolan. As much as Humphrey loved pups, he was in no hurry to become a grandfather yet. That could certainly wait until Saren was finished and Kate and Luna were safely returned, allowing them to grow up into proud and beautiful she-wolves.

That was when she was snapped back to reality. As much as she'd love to live like this forever, she knew that it was not to be. Her sisters were imprisoned by the Black Bloods and Saren was trying to take over the world with his damned Markers and necromorphs. Hell, the whole reason that Kala and Faolan got married the previous night in the first place – aside from the love they shared – was because they knew it could very well be the last chance they would ever get to do so. Death was all but certain in this day.

As if by an unspoken signal, the wolves began to rise, stretching their limbs and looking out of the den to the land beyond with serious expressions. Everyone knew what was going to happen this day. Everyone knew that this could very well be the last time any of them ever saw one another. Humphrey padded over to Winston and helped the old wolf up. He was wheezing heavily, his legs shaking. His hot breath bore traces of an obvious fever. He was in no physical or mental condition to fight at all. Kala padded to him, sadness overcoming her.

Winston noticed his granddaughter and forced a shaky smile. She flashed him a grin and gently hugged her grandfather, Winston returning the embrace wholeheartedly. He coughed uncontrollably and hacked up specks of blood on the ground. Lily began to weep, Garth pulling her close as Winston gave what was surely the beginning of his death throes. He had no more than a moon left to live at the most. At the least amount of time, he had a week of life left in his old, weak heart. He'd lost his mate, his daughter, and over one hundred wolves he'd known most of his life. He had gone on a journey like no other and fought against humans, monsters, the Marker, and the Black Bloods. He was a living legend in itself, and from the stories that he'd told Kala as a pup, his past was even more adventurous and complex than she could imagine. Now, his legacy was beginning to come to a close. Still, he stood tall and proud, refusing to take Humphrey's support anymore. He smiled at them and walked over to his youngest daughter, Lily. He whispered something in her ear and she nodded, choking a sob.

Winston circled around the group, saying goodbyes to every wolf. It didn't matter who the relation was or even if there was one at all. No matter how long he'd known them, he'd always seen them as a part of his pack and cared for them all. Kerrigan and Taylor were embarrassed and flattered to be receiving such kind words from Winston at this time. He grinned at their expressions. Humphrey seemed to take it quite emotionally as well, whatever it was that Winston said to him. Finally, he approached Kala, lowering his muzzle to her ear to gently whisper.

 ****A/N: Play the song now****

"I remember the night you were born," he rasped. Kala winced as though physically struck; the night of her birth was not something many liked to remember. "I was devastated when Kate did not return home, but when I saw Humphrey caring the small pup in his jaws, the life and hope that you carried washed over me. You are just as your father describes you: just like your mother. I couldn't be prouder to call you my granddaughter, Kala. I am truly honored to have known such a strong, courageous, and incredible she-wolf in this dark, dangerous world."

Kala had begun to cry from his words, emotion striking her core in a way that she could not fathom. She embraced Winston tightly, sad that she had to part from him. She pulled away reluctantly as he did and he stood back as Humphrey sat atop the rock that Winston had been upon the night before during the marriage ceremony. The wolves looked up at him, expectant of his words. Each and every one of them knew exactly what was going to happen. There was a good chance that some of them would not make it back out alive. Humphrey's eyes betrayed his emotion. He knew well that he may lose everyone he cared about. It was a torture to be him, Kala came to realize. To see everyone he knew and loved taken away from him was a cruel fate that he was forced to suffer through. She pitied her father, feeling a pang of sorrow when thinking of his terrible fate. She was determined, however, to stay alive. If not for her, her family, or Faolan, then she would do it for her father. She sat straight at attention to him, Faolan sitting beside her.

"Friends," he began, pacing back and forth slowly. "And family; there is no use in denying what we already know. This is a threat like no other, one that we have never faced the likes of before. We survived the threat of the humans; we survived the necromorphs, the Jagged Ice wolves, the D'Tyoni, the Longfangs, the Night Watchers, and the Ancients. But never before have we fought our own kind in all-out war.

"I have come to know you, my friends and my family, and to trust each and every one of you with my life. Still, I hear rumors of discontent. I won't lie to you; our odds of survival are not good. This may be the very last time we see each other," the wolves nodded, everyone silent. Everyone in the den was accepting of his or her own fate. Tears began to well up in his eyes and he looked at them with a serious expression. "I cannot imagine any other beings in this world that I would rather stand with in these final hours. This is our time to persevere, to rise above the Black Bloods, to reclaim our pups and our lost friends,"(Scourge nodded at this; Humphrey was referring to Collette, who was now confirmed by Marcel to be alive). "I don't believe in fate, in destiny, or an end. We will defeat the Black Bloods and force them into whatever black hole that crawled out of. We will destroy the Marker, end the necromorph plague, and we will rise above Saren's dark forces and show him what wolves of the darkness can truly do!"

There was a raucous battle cry of howls from the wolves from his words. Kala's howl for her father's courageous speech was perhaps the loudest. She caught a glint in his eye when she howled and she remembered that her howl was almost exactly the same as her mother's. They began to walk out of the den when Humphrey suddenly stopped, shocked by what he saw before him. Kacey gasped, and Kala joined them, looking down. Her eyes widened to see Kate dragging herself up the mountain slope toward them, blood and dust covering her body, a club of Marcel's in her jaws.

**Luna**

"What do you mean she came back?" Luna snarled. The Black Blood Omega before her flinched, whimpering. He lowered his body to the ground, groveling. She spat in distain and unsheathed her claws. In a swift motion, she ripped out the Omega's throat. He lay on the ground, gurgling as blood flooded from his mouth and neck. She padded through the blood to another Black Blood, an Alpha. She growled at him and he immediately lowered himself to the ground in a formal submission posture. She glared down at him, waiting for his response to her initial inquiry.

"Your sister returned to the site where the bird fought off our forces," he told her. "It was probably to see if he was alive or not. She only found one of his odd stick things. The goose was beyond saving anyhow; he brought down the tunnels on himself. The bird was dead almost immediately."

"Today, we go to war," a voice growled behind her. She turned to see Saren standing behind her. The fur on his shoulders was torn off, two large appendages with blades attached to them sprouting from his back. He was becoming the necromorph. "Prepare our forces, Luna."

"Yes, my lord," she growled, flashing a bloody grin. She went off to do his bidding.

 **** Thank you to Crowwolf, imjustlikehumphrey, Alexander, the dark shadow, and Dawn Walker Wolf for reviewing my last chapter! Until next time!****

 ****-The Dishonored Wolf****


	18. A Fatal Ambush

18\. A Fatal Ambush

 ****A/N: Go on Youtube and look up this song: Halo Wars Soundtrack Out of There Alive. Enjoy the chapter!****

Humphrey stalked forward, a hard-set glare in his eyes. Fenrir stomped in the front of the ranks, Humphrey several taillengths from him. Scourge padded to Humphrey's left, Kala beside Scourge and Kacey to his right. Directly behind the Jasper wolves were Taylor and Kerrigan, representing the War-Eye Clan. Directly ahead was the black mountain, half of the Blue Marker already visible from its peak. The entire mountain seemed to be moving; as the neared, however, he realized that it was actually tens of thousands of Black Bloods moving across its surface.

A cold claw seemed to clench at Humphrey's heart, freezing his veins with ice. The Army of Fenrir was no more than three thousand wolves, whereas Saren had recruited easily seven times as many wolves to fight them off. 'He must have gathered every other wolf on this side of the planet', Humphrey thought bitterly. Kala noticed his gaze and padded to him, nuzzling her father gently. Humphrey returned the affection to her. He looked into her amber eyes and realized with horror that this may very well be the last time he ever got to see his daughter again. He did his best to hold back tears from falling, but he couldn't help it; knowing that he may lose his daughter was the worst fate imaginable to him.

"I'll be fine, Dad," Kala whispered. He closed his eyes, tears leaking from underneath his eyelids. He clenched his fangs, unsheathing his claws. He turned to look at her and saw that she, too, was teary eyed. Everyone had probably said their goodbyes by now; he had only just realized that he had not said goodbye to anyone. He didn't want to.

To say goodbye to one before they went off to war together was confirming the fact that they would not be seeing each other on the other side. Hence, he had not said his goodbyes. He didn't want to believe that anyone would die. Now, it seemed all too certain that they would fail in their mission to end the Black Bloods and the Markers. Winston, staying behind at the mountain with Kate, could very well be weeping, dying as he was now, alone without his family. It was terrible.

He looked forward and recounted the events of Kate's return. She had revealed the demise of Marcel and Iris. Humphrey could not help but howl in anguish for the loss of his friends; he only lost more and more with every day. Who would he lose next? Kala? Scourge, Kacey, Winston, Garth, Lily? Who would he lose in this battle? He even pondered losing his own life. He was not afraid to die; no, he was welcoming of the imamate death that he knew would plague him. A part of him wanted to die ever since his beloved Kate was lost in the Great War. The only thing that kept him alive was his friends and family; they needed him to find the Pack of the Winter Mountains. Now they were as lost as ever; they did not find the Winter Mountains and the legendary descendants of the dire wolves that were rumored to live there. All they had found was death and destruction. It occurred to Humphrey that if they had not been caught by the Jagged Ice wolves, they could have found the Pack of the Winter Mountains. Then again, they would all be dead as well; not even a dire wolf could fight off the necromorphs.

Kate was not happy with being left behind with Winston, but Humphrey was not about to let his pup go out to war. She had not said where Luna was, only that she had been in the tunnels when Iris and Marcel were extracting her. There was a cold, furious look in Kate's eyes when she spoke of Luna, though Humphrey did not know why. They still had to save Luna one way or another, and this was the time to do it. He was terrified, however, by the possibility that she may have even been killed by Saren already.

Humphrey saw Fenrir tense as they walked forward. A shallow river ran ahead, splitting the land ahead. The Black Bloods were gathering along the shoreline, a large boulder jutting out over the river. Atop it stood the hated Black Blood leader himself. Humphrey's eyes hardened as he looked at the abomination. He was already turning into a necromorph himself. He was thrice the size as he had been the first time Humphrey saw him. The Black Bloods themselves were snarling at them, growling and shouting at Fenrir's army as they approached. They jeered at the inferior size of their army compared to Saren's and Humphrey felt a pit form in his belly. There was a rumbling in the ground underneath them, though Humphrey did not know what it was from. He assumed it was just their army forming up behind him. Fenrir snarled at Saren, the Black Blood leader simply smirking at him. From behind Saren, a she-wolf appeared. Even though her fur was black as the night sky like the rest of them, Humphrey knew that face anywhere, and he knew the scent of her as well. Kacey released a choked sob as she saw Luna standing with Saren.

Luna did not react; she simply glared down at them. She had the perfect chance to leap down and join them, but she did not. Behind Luna stood a large, hulking Black Blood – the same one that delivered Ryker's corpse to the Jasper wolves. Scourge snarled as he saw John. Humphrey could also see Scourge scanning the army, perhaps hoping for some sign of Collette, his former mate before the humans destroyed their territory in southern Jasper. Saren raised a paw and the Black Bloods fell silent, glaring at Fenrir's army with bloodlust and hate.

"You have interrupted the raising of the Marker, Fenrir," Saren said. His voice was different now; it sounded grated, deep, not-wolf…it sounded much like Sam to Humphrey's ears. "Now I only have a few of my Black Bloods to excavate the platform upon which it rises."

"Good," Fenrir rumbled. "Perhaps now you bought the world a few more minutes of life before we destroy you and your Markers for good."

The Black Bloods began to laugh and jeer at him, Saren grinning bloodily. Humphrey noticed entrails hanging from his fangs. Kala, at the sight of him, took off her necklace and held the Basilisk fang tightly in her jaws. Yet again, Saren raised a paw for silence.

"So confident, are you, Fenrir?" Saren growled. There were snickers from the crowd at this remark. He continued speaking. "Are you so certain that you will survive this day, God of War?"

"More confident than half of your scrawny-ass excuses for wolves," Fenrir spat. Many of Fenrir's wolves grinned at this.

"I will give you one last chance, Fenrir," Saren said flatly. "Turn back and spare the bloodshed; it is useless to keep so many wolves from transcendence. You can still be saved by the Marker; just call off this pointless battle. See the truth spoken by the Holy Markers! You can all be saved, and you will evolve with us and we shall retake the planet, proving to the other inferior species' that we, the wolves, are the true superior race of this world!

"The humans forced us north of the wasteland they used to call the 'United States.' Now, we can retake our land! We can go across the oceans and spread divinity to our brothers and sisters in the east, the west, and the south! We can find the Pack of the Winter Mountains and spread divinity to the dire wolves as well! Do you not understand? This is how everything should be!"

"Only a fool would believe your ramblings, Saren," Fenrir growled. "Evolution is one thing; becoming a necromorph is simply dying and turning into a walking corpse. That is not what we want, not what we desire or need. You are mad, Saren, and we will destroy you!" The wolves of Fenrir's army howled with agreement, ready to fight. Humphrey looked at Saren, watching the heavily indoctrinated necrowolf sigh and shake his head.

"Then," he said carefully. "I suppose there is only one other solution to this matter."

He began to beat his right paw on the ground; a small sound could be heard as his pad hit the stone. The Black Bloods began to do the same, even Luna with them. Now Humphrey understood how Marcel and Iris died; his heart broke to see her with them. The rumbling underneath them returned as the Black Bloods beat their paws faster on the ground. Fenrir and his wolves began to look about frantically, trying to understand what was going on. Finally, the Black Bloods raised their forepaws into the air and slammed them to the ground.

Silence hung in the air for a long while as they looked about. They waited a heartbeat, then two, and then three. Nothing happened at all. Fenrir scowled and glared at Saren. The Black Blood necrowolf leader was smirking at them.

Suddenly, the ground amongst them cracked and massive, pale paws protruded upward. They grabbed wolves and pulled them underground, more of the creatures rising from the earth. Humphrey knew what they were, his heart lurching in terror. There were hundreds of Longfangs surrounding them, tearing into the flanks of Fenrir's wolves. The Black Bloods rushed forward into the river, howling for blood and flesh as the two armies connected. Humphrey howled a battle cry and charged into the river at the Black Bloods, retaliating against the vicious ambush. The wolves began to fight the Black Bloods while Fenrir and the larger, brawnier wolves in his army dealt with the Longfangs. Humphrey attacked one Black Blood, pushing it into the river and quickly tore its throat out. Kala ran beside him, slashing Black Bloods with her Basilisk fang, the venom quickly and efficiently killing any Black Blood that it came into contact with.

Faolan covered her back, snarling and slashing at any Black Blood that tried to attack her. She threw him the Basilisk fang whenever he was being overwhelmed and he tossed it back when the forces were dealt with. Humphrey grinned sharply at their actions, but was suddenly slammed on his back into the water. A Black Blood stood on him, choking him, trying to drown him in the shallow water. It kept him pinned, choking him all the more. Faolan, however, leapt upon the Black Blood's back and drilled the Basilisk fang into its cranium. Blood burst from the Black Blood's eyes and it fell dead in the water. Faolan tossed the fang back to Kala and helped Humphrey up. Humphrey nodded to Faolan, his son in law nodding back as he went to protect Kala once more. The corpse of a Longfang was thrown into the air, smashing on top of the Black Bloods. Fenrir leapt into battle, grabbing a Black Blood by the head. He bit down and the skull cracked and shattered, the spine snaking out of the body. Fenrir grabbed the spinal cord and threw it at another Black Blood, the tailbone impaling the wolf.

Suddenly, there was a loud scream from above. Humphrey looked skyward and his blood ran cold. A grey, metal bird soared above them. He seethed, knowing only one species in the world could construct birds like that; monstrous creatures called 'fighter jets.' The humans had arrived.

**Kate**

Winston was quite pleased to see Kate back in the den with him. Despite the fact that he was not her biological grandfather, he still considered himself to be her grandfather nevertheless. Kate did as well, much to his glee. He was quite insistent, however, that she listen to her father not go to war. She was too young, and they weren't about to let her go to battle the Black Bloods so soon after they had gotten her back. Reluctant as she was to stay behind, Kate did as she was told and stayed with Winston, playing with the pups that were still in the mountain. They enjoyed clambering over Kate, biting her tail playfully, and playing hide-and-seek with her. She would always pretend she couldn't see them, even though their tails would always be wagging playfully behind a rock that they were hiding behind.

"Uh, oh," she said sarcastically, grinning. "Looks like I can't find little Jim!" A giggle could be heard from behind the rock and Kate would playfully jump to the other side and yell, "Gotcha!" The pup would squeal in happiness and run about frantically, yipping in glee from the game. She did this for almost three hours before she was panting heavily and collapsed to the earth in exhaustion. Now she understood why Kala was so annoyed with her back when she was a pup. Kate had always been rambunctious and upbeat, but now that she saw what pups were like from an elder perspective, she fully understood why Kala responded in such a way to her.

She lay on the ground and Winston hollered for them to come over. The pups curled beside Kate and stared attentively at Winston as he began to tell them of an epic story. Kate perked up as well; it was her favorite story. She had been told that Kacey was not Humphrey's original mate, that Kala was not Kacey's daughter. His original mate was Kate's namesake, a beautiful she-wolf that most of the pack loved. She was Winston's daughter and Lily's sister, and she'd crafted the bracelet Humphrey always wore around his leg.

Kate was a beautiful, tawny-furred she-wolf with white chest and belly fur. She had the most beautiful, shining amber eyes that any wolf had laid their eyes on, her beauty attracting the attention of every wolf around her. She was sweet and caring to all wolves, yet held on to a deep friendship with a certain grey wolf in the pack, an Omega called Humphrey. As her first duty upon returning to Jasper Park, Kate had selected the two senior Alpha wolves, Candu and Hutch, to assist her in a hunt on the esteemed and incredibly popular dieted prey of the Jasper wolves, the caribou.

Caribou were massive creatures with bone-like antlers that jutted from their skulls. They were quite dumb animals, but were easily dangerous to any predator, their antlers able to be used as defense against lethal predators when hunting. As Kate and her allies were hunting, their rivals, the Eastern Pack, was discovered hunting the wolves as.

Kate had lost the caribou and the wolves began to fight when suddenly, Kate's best friend, Humphrey, and his friends rushed down to the rescue. They ended the fight and managed to get the wolves away from each other before they could hurt one another.

Humphrey padded up to Kate after Winston ordered the Eastern wolves to go back to their own territory and for the Western wolves to return to the Pack Den. Kate hung her head and tail low in disappointment for failing the hunt. Humphrey tried to offer his condolences to her, telling her how great of a job she had done on her hunt.

"Come on, Kate, you did amazing!" He told her. "I mean, come on, if anyone wants to eat, they can just eat, uh, berries!" Kate gave him a quizzical look and as his friend Salty tossed him several berries.

"They're very," Humphrey said, choking down the berries in disgust. He forced himself to swallow the vile berries, violet juices flecking his muzzle. He recoiled in distaste, his face clearly showing his disgust for them. Still, he forced a kind smile to Kate. "They're very nutritious."

"Yeah," Kate said sullenly, walking away. "Try telling that to a hungry pack." When he noticed that his attempts at comforting her had failed, he spat out the berries like poison. 'Berries,' Humphrey thought. 'I hate berries!'

When Winston's mate, Eve, returned to their den, Winston informed her of Kate's hunt and its outcome. Eve gave a quite disturbingly violent response, but seemed to brighten when Winston told her that the Omegas had broken up the fight. She padded inside to see Kate slouching pitifully while Lily played gleefully with her tail. Eve ordered Kate to sit up straight and for Lily to stop playing with her tail. Lily asked what their dinner would be and Eve presented them with the bones of the previous night's food.

Lily sniffed at the bones and recoiled in revolt, Kate responding similarly. Eve, however, smashed a fly to the ground and told her daughters that any food was a blessing. Kate eyed her mom oddly and Eve called out to Winston to come in. He grumpily walked inside and looked at the scraps and bones of the previous kill. The only one that seemed to be in high spirits was Eve, but she was quite demonic in some situations. She was a unique she-wolf, though, which was one of the reasons that Winston loved her. Other wolves, however…there was much speculation as to her mental health.

"Scraps and bones is not a dinner!" Winston growled. "Not for my pack!"

"I'm sorry, Dad," Kate apologized sadly. "I tried my best; it's just those dumb Eastern wolves!"

"It's not your fault, Kate," Winston told her, looking at his eldest daughter sympathetically. "When the Eastern hunting group crossed the River Border into our territory, they deliberately broke Pack Law! Their intrusion on our land will not go unpunished!" Suddenly, someone called for Winston from outside. He and Eve looked out and went to talk to the wolves outside. Hutch was supporting Candu.

"Candu was jumped," Hutch snarled. "We were patrolling the border when the Eastern wolves came out at him."

"It ain't nothing!" Candu insisted. Eve looked at his size and saw several long, bloody, scarred scratches on his flank. He seethed in pain when Eve prodded them.

"Quickly," she said. "Get him into our den. Now, Winston, honey; when we find out whoever did this, let's tear their tail off and shove it down their throat, shall we?" Winston stared agape at Eve as she walked back into the den. Winston gave orders to Hutch and left for the forest. Kate looked out after him as he headed to the River Border in the East. Then, she noticed the grey and his friends trying to convince the other wolves that berries were great to eat.

"Seriously, guys," Humphrey told them indignantly. "Caribou; it's just really overrated. There's new food out there that you haven't tried out yet! Now, put your paws together and get ready for the next best thing…BERRIES!" The wolves looked at him in confusion for several moments, and then began to growl menacingly at them. They fearfully threw the berries away and took out several squirrels. "Well, uh, how about some squirrels?" That put the wolves in a more positive mood, their mouths salivating as they looked hungrily at the squirrels. The squirrels panicked and bolted away from the grey. The Omegas laughed nervously and slowly walked away from the aggravated wolves. Kate laughed as she saw the ordeal and began to follow Winston stealthily through the forest.

Winston howled from a large precipice into the East, waiting for a response. Several moments later, another howl responded to his call. He padded to the River Border and waited as an old red-furred wolf. Ravens flew from the East, cawing out menacingly as the old Eastern Leader Wolf padded out, leaping over the river. His back cracked as he landed, making the Eastern Leader Wolf seethe in pain.

"You're one crazy wolf, Tony," Winston told him as the two began to circle each other.

"Oh yeah?" Tony questioned.

"Yeah," Winston growled. "Like that little crazy game your wolves decided to play with my daughter and her team during our hunt? I thought you had respectable Alphas; why not just leave the playing to the Omegas?"

"Damn you, Winston!" Tony snarled. "You know just as well as I do that there is no prey left in the East!"

"Well, it looks like you've got a big problem."

"Unite the packs, Winston!" Tony told him, exasperated. "Need I remind you that you were the one that gave that big speech about your daughter and my son becoming mates and uniting the packs? Garth knows his responsibility; does Kate?" Winston hesitated for a moment, and then defiantly glared back at him.

"Don't worry," Winston growled. "She knows."

"Good!" Tony said, delighted. "Then she can meet Garth tonight at the Moonlight Howl." With that, he stalked away. Winston sighed and turned around, knowing what he had to do. However, he turned face-to-face with Kate. She had a sad expression on her face as Winston turned to her. He knew from her eyes that she had heard everything.

"Kate, I-" Winston began.

"It's okay, Dad," Kate said. Her heart was wrenched from feelings toward her grey wolf friend and duties to her pack. She knew, however, that it was futile to argue; Alpha and Omegas could not be together due to Pack Law, and her duties came first. She whispered a silent apology to Humphrey. "I understand, Dad; it's my responsibility."

That night, Kate had met Garth at the glorious moonlight howl. Unfortunately, Garth had an absolutely horrendous howl despite his looks, strength, agility, endurance, and charm. Astounded by his inability to howl, Kate made the excuse to run down to the river and drink.

She hid from Garth, wanting desperately to escape the horror of him and his howl. She couldn't believe that she had to be mates with him! She was angry at her parents for not letting her have a say in the matter, she was angry at Garth for being so imperfect, she was angry at the caribou for not staying in the East, and she was angry that at the dumb Pack Laws that prevented her from being with her best friend in the world.

Suddenly, Humphrey dropped down from above, grinning at her. She screamed in shock, the grey returning the scream. She growled at him in anger, yet she was still happy to see her friend. However, she didn't let him see that. The grey laughed.

"So, where's Barf?" He asked, his attitude turning negative when he mentioned him.

"It's Garth," Kate corrected sternly before walking away. "And for your information, we're just taking a little break."

"A break?" Humphrey questioned, amused.

"Yeah," Kate replied. "Being an Omega, I thought you'd know what a 'break' is."

"Oh, I know what it is, after all, I'm on break all the time!" He exclaimed. "The thing is, I don't know any wolf that takes a break ten minutes into a howl."

"Well," she growled. "I do."

"Hey, Kate," Humphrey said, searching for the right words. "Your new howling partner…well, he's, ah…well, he's not a stud. What's the word I'm looking for? It's like stud, but it's not, it just rhymes with stud…oh, yeah! He's a dud! A dud, that's what he is! Isn't he?" Kate gave a fake laugh.

"No!" She said, half-heartedly trying to act as though she liked Garth. "He is not a dud! He's, well, he's…"

"Strong!" Humphrey exclaimed.

"Yeah!" Kate agreed. "He is very strong!" Humphrey got a mischievous look on his face and quickly ran to another tree, proudly standing in front of Kate.

"Proud!" Humphrey exclaimed. Kate smiled and ran up to him, agreeing once again. He leapt onto a small rise and cried, "He's an Alpha's Alpha!" Kate leapt up in front of him.

"That's right!" She agreed. "He's an Alpha's Alpha!" Humphrey grinned widely and winked at her. She looked at him with a confused expression, then understood just what he meant by that. She growled furiously at him.

"Oh, why you-!" Suddenly, something poked into her rear. Her vision began to blur and become distorted and she lost her hold on sense and reality. "Hmm, you're kind of cuuuuttteeee." She told him. Despite his confusion, he like this new mood swing from Kate.

"Really, you think so?" He asked. She began poking him with her paw and kissed him on the cheek. He flushed in embarrassment. "Well, thank you, first of all; but do you mean, a rugged, kind of, you know, handsomely cute-?" Then, something poked into his rear as well.

"Whoa, the mosquitoes are out of control tonight!" He exclaimed, and then the side effects began to get into his head as well. He looked at Kate as she gave him a lazy grin.

"I'll meet you on Mars," she said, collapsing. "Right after I eat the Milky Way!"

"Oh, that sounds good!" He said, his words slurring and drool falling from his jaws. "Make sure you save some for meeeeeeeeeeeee!" He fell beside her, the two falling into unconsciousness. Then, humans appeared, taking them away in a terrible wolfnapping.

"Well, Kate and the grey met two birds, a goose named Marcel and a duck named Paddy that were incredible in the strange sport of golf," Winston said. "Marcel and Paddy helped Kate and Humphrey back home, but they were diverted off course when things got bad. Kate fell down a gorge, but Humphrey saved her life and they continued forward. They traveled into the mountains and were attacked by bears, but he managed to get them out of that situation as well. That night, they rode a human thing called a 'train' back to Jasper. That was the night they realized their true love for one another…"

They sat together in the train car, talking to one another as they had not done since they were young pups before Alpha School. Kate laughed and played along with the grey until they looked outside over a large lake at the luminescent full moon. The grey padded over to the train car's edge and began to howl.

"What are you doing?" Kate asked.

"Oh, sorry," Humphrey said sheepishly. "It's just, you know, the moon and the moment, I just thought…" She smiled at his apparent inability to explain himself. He stopped trying and sighed, looking into her eyes. "Oh, come on, Kate! Please, howl at the moon with me!" He continued to howl into the night sky before Kate succumbed to the sound of his voice and padded up to him.

She waited for a moment, hesitating, wondering if what she was about to do was the right thing to do. Then, her heart filled with joy, she began to howl with him. Her beautiful voice startled the grey for a moment, but when he realized she was howling with him, he began to howl in perfect melody with her. Their hearts and minds joined in the howl and at that moment, they knew as all wolves knew, that they were meant for one another. When the howls of two wolves matched and supplemented each other, the wolves knew that they were a perfect pair and therefore meant to be mates.

However, they returned to Jasper and the grey had his heart torn apart when he discovered that Kate was to be mated with Garth. At this point, Garth had grown close to Kate's sister, Lily, and had learned to howl. The choice affected Lily and he just as it affected Kate and the grey. Despite this, however, Kate was willing-though not happy-to do as her duties required of her.

The next day, Marcel and Paddy learned from Humphrey that Kate was to be mated with another wolf and they led him to the train tracks where he wished to leave and become a lone wolf. In the mating ceremony, however, Kate refused to follow through and declared in front of all of the wolves that she was in love with the Omega. His friends cheered for their friend, but the rest of the wolves were not so happy about the ordeal and began to fight.

Wolves fought one another in desperation in the valley, the sound of battle carrying to the caribou further down the valley. The dumb animals panicked and thought that they were in danger, stampeding out towards them. In terror, the wolves began to run to the sides of the valley, but Winston and Tony were caught in the middle. Kate watched in horror as the caribou quickly gained on her father and the Eastern Leader Wolf. Suddenly, Humphrey jumped out into the open. Kate was surprised and elated to see him and for a brief instant, forgot about the troubles at hand, simply glad to see her love back in Jasper.

They returned their attention to the stampede, however, and began to enact a plan to ride a log sled down to the valley and save them. They crashed into the valley, the log sled landing in a way that Winston and Tony could use for cover. Humphrey and Kate crawled carefully towards them as the caribou leapt around them.

"I told you we'd make a good team," Kate told him with a bright smile on her face.

"You said that?" Humphrey asked with a large grin. "I thought I said that!"

"Well, now I realize that we really do," she said. He smiled, and they began to run to the log sled. Kate, however, didn't make it. She was kicked in the head by a caribou. She immediately flew back and was quickly battered by more wolves.

"KATE!" Humphrey screamed. He leapt over her, using himself as a living shield to protect herself from the caribou. The animals struck him several times, battering him severely, bones cracking as they hit him. Tony and Winston snarled at the caribou and tried to drive of the caribou until the stampede ended. The grey achingly sat up, nosing Kate.

"Kate," he whispered. "Kate, get up. Please, Kate…please, Kate, don't do this!" He continued to nudge her desperately, trying to wake her up. She wouldn't wake, however, and tears fell from his eyes. He collapsed into her fur and sobbed. "I love you, Kate…Do you hear me? I love you." He sat up and began to howl a low, mournful requiem for Kate. The rest of the wolves joined in, their united voices flowing into the sky and reaching the heavens.

Suddenly, Kate moved, groaning. Her eyes began to open and she dragged herself up. The two admitted their love for one another and became mates moments later, the pack uniting under the rule of Garth and Lily and Kate and the grey became a happy couple, howling their love to the heavens above.

The pups yipped and barked their approval for the story. Kate smiled at them, wondering what they'd think if they knew that the story was not simply fiction, but actually happened. Kate wished she could have met Humphrey's original mate; she certainly seemed to be quite an amazing she-wolf. Then again, had she survived, he would have never met Kacey and Kate wouldn't have been born.

Suddenly, there was a low growl from the chambers above. The pups hushed, and everyone looked upward. Winston, Kate, and the she-wolves and elders left behind to guard the pups and young wolves stood, staring about. It was guttural, feral snarl of a sound, hundreds of the sounds coming from the chambers all at once. An exceptionally low growl could be heard from the tunnel to their right. Standing there, silhouetted against the pale light from beyond the mountain chambers, was a dark wolf with glowing yellow eyes, foam flecking its lips, barring its shattered teeth. It reeked of mange and blood, its fur-or what was left of its fur-was unkempt and matted against its fleshy hide.

Kate had heard the story of the death of Shakey, a friend of Humphrey's, before. She had been haunted by the description of the monstrous creature that killed him, terrified of what it was. Now, she knew with utmost certainty that she was facing a Mad Wolf. She looked about the chambers and saw more of them appear, some of them driven forward by Black Bloods outside. There were hundreds of the vicious monstrosities.

Winston stood defensively before the pups, extending his claws and baring his fangs. Kate stood beside him, everyone forming a defensive circle around the pups and young wolves. Before they could react, the Mad Wolves were upon them. Many of them leapt from high above, biting down on the necks of the wolves as they fell. They would die, but they would take many wolves with them. One Mad Wolf broke into the lines and ran off with a pup in its jaws. The pups screamed and cried frantically.

"MOMMY!" It yelped. One of the she-wolves howled and ran after the Mad Wolf carrying her pup. Black Bloods began to rush into the chamber as well, and Winston shared a glance with Kate – the mountain was lost. She grabbed a pup by the scruff and howled for anyone else to do the same, getting as many pups out as possible. Winston kept fighting the Mad Wolf and bit down on its neck. He twisted viciously, and the Mad Wolf's neck snapped, slumping to the ground.

 ****A/N: Play the song now****

Kate ran ahead, Winston right behind her. The pup she was carrying was silent in her jaws, too shocked to speak. The daylight beyond the mountain greeted them. Winston panted haggardly, blood flecking his lips as he tried to keep up with Kate. The howls of the Mad Wolves and the Black Bloods could be heard echoing throughout the chambers behind them; anyone that did not make it out in time was already dead.

Winston howled behind her and she stole a glance back. She screamed when she saw a Mad Wolf taking him by the neck, blood falling from his throat as it slowly tore away his Life Blood. Tears streamed down her face as she saw her grandfather fall, but he was not out of the fight – not yet.

He dug his claws into the Mad Wolf's chest and raked it open, killing the Mad Wolf. Suddenly, more leapt upon him and began to drag him into the darkness of the mountain.

"Run, Kate!" He choked, blood spitting from his mouth as they dragged him away. "RUN!" She sobbed and ran off, leaving Winston behind. She did not stop running away from the mountain until she was nearly three leagues from it. She stopped and looked back hoping to see more wolves. None appeared; she was the only one that made it out. She set the pup down and looked at it; the pup was not breathing, silent and cold. She noticed a bite mark on its throat. The pup was dead before she picked it up.

 ****A/N: Well, there you have it, a pretty intense chapter! Want more intense chapters? Read the next one, that'll be crazy as hell! I originally had another way I was going to have Winston die, but I thought it was a bit too much like the death of Captain Anderson in Mass Effect 3 (actually it was almost exactly the same) so I decided to give him a death trying to protect pups at the end of this chapter. Heroic of him if I do say so myself.****

 ****Thank you to Alexander, MoonTrekerAF, imjustlikehumphrey, the dark shadow, The-crazy-lone-wolf77, DawnWalkerWolf, and LilyAndMe for reviewing my last chapter! Until next time!****

 ****-The Dishonored Wolf****


	19. Hope Destroyed

19\. Hope Destroyed

 ****A/N: Go on Youtube and look up this song: Mass Effect 2 Soundtrack The End Run. Also, look up Halo Reach Deliver Hope Soundtrack. Enjoy the chapter!****

Kala pulled herself up from underneath the dead Longfang, her pelt matted in a thick layer of blood. She spat out pieces of the Longfang's flesh, looking out over the grey landscape. All around her the wolves were in battle. Two of the Longfangs were still up and fighting, Fenrir holding them off. Bloodied corpses surrounded her, the scent of rot and decay wafting around her and creating a putrid odor that stung her nostrils. Her paw was wrapped tightly around the Basilisk's fang. She held up her paw and grabbed the harmless root of the fang in her jaws.

She looked about frantically, hoping to find someone, anyone that she knew. Someone had to have survived, and she couldn't take it if someone had died. Luckily, she did not initially see any wolves that she recognized amongst the fallen. Lily and Garth were fighting off the Black Bloods to her right, Kerrigan and Taylor standing tail-to-tail, holding them back nearby. Humphrey, Scourge, Kacey, and Faolan were nowhere to be seen. A fighter jet screamed overhead, two more following it and firing bursts of red light at it. Suddenly, the one they were firing at erupted into a ball of orange flame, charred shrapnel falling across the land. One flaming piece fell toward her. She dodged to the left and the triangular wing smashed into the ground, flaming and raining rock and metal upon her. She gritted her fangs and forced herself to her paws, still holding the fang. She growled and stumbled forward, picking her way through the bodies. She respected the dead wolves of Fenrir's army; she spat at and stomped upon the corpses of the Black Bloods. She did not care for them, nor did she pity them. A missile smashed into the ground near her, throwing her back to the ground. She groaned and forced herself up, her ears ringing with the force and sound of the colossal explosion. Her fur was slightly singed by the flame, tiny embers lighting her fur. She shook the soot and rubble from her pelt and forced herself to continue on. Her vision was hazy and confused; her senses were off. A massive human thing hovered above, a blue light glowing on some kind of large weapon underneath the thing. A large Black Blood wolf was in front of her, stalking toward her ominously.

A brown wolf leapt at him, but the Black Blood simply grabbed it by the neck and twisted, the wolf's neck snapping viciously. It was dead before it knew what had happened. Kala tightened her grip around the Basilisk fang, realizing the wolf in front of her was the one Scourge had told her about: John. He grinned bloodily at her, entrails hanging from his fangs and death in his dark blue eyes. Suddenly, a brown she-wolf leapt upon John, biting down on his neck. He roared in anger and thrashed about as she bit down harder. Scourge leapt at him as well, tearing into his flank.

Kala growled viciously and quickened her pace, ready to use the Basilisk fang when she got close enough to him. He shook off the brown she-wolf, sending her down into the ground hard. Scourge held on to him, but he was tiring quickly. Blood seeped from John's flank as Scourge dug his claws into the Black Blood wolf. Kala snarled and leapt forward swinging the Basilisk fang. He batted her away like a leaf in the wind, Kala slamming into the human fighter jet wing. He threw Scourge off him and stalked toward Kala. She groped for the Basilisk fang, but he quickly pinned her to the ground, raising a massive paw, unsheathing his long, curved claws. He snarled, poised to strike, but the brown she-wolf leapt on him again, clawing at his neck. He growled and thrashed about, sending her to the ground once more. Scourge leapt in front of John, distancing him from Kala. She crawled over to the Basilisk fang as he fought off the massive Black Blood wolf. John delivered a catastrophic blow to Scourge, thrashing him about and breaking several of his ribs. Scourge coughed up blood, trying in vain to get back up.

"NICHOLAS!" The she-wolf screamed. She leapt forward as John lashed out at him, ready to rip away his Life Blood. The she-wolf got in the way and he sank his fangs into her neck while she clawed feebly at his face. Kala quickly grabbed the Basilisk fang and began repeatedly stabbing John in the neck with it. He groaned and threw the she-wolf away, falling to the ground heavily. She drew the Basilisk fang once more and plunged the fang into John's skull, brain matter and blackened liquids pouring out. The light faded from his bleeding eyes and he slumped down heavily, nothing but a corpse like the rest of the wolves around them.

Kala stumbled over to Scourge and helped him up, supporting him as he raised himself upward. He caught sight of the brown she-wolf and his eyes widened, his mouth agape. He rushed to her side, sniffing her and nuzzling her softly. Kala pulled the fang from John's head and slung it back around her neck, walking over to Scourge and the she-wolf.

"Nicholas," she whispered, blood falling from her mouth. Scourge whimpered, a light going through his eyes of the likes that Kala had never seen before. "I'm sorry for what I did to you. I'm so, so sorry, Nicholas…"

"Don't be," Scourge replied. "I've had too many years to get over it." She nodded and showed him her furled paw. In her grasp was an odd stone that looked very much like a small Marker.

"It was Saren's," she stammered. "I stole it from him on one of the nights that he…that he r-raped me. He can't activate the Marker without this. If you destroy this by smashing it against the Marker, it'll collapse and render it useless."

"You thought of everything," Scourge whispered.

"Well, I'm far from perfect," she gave a nervous laugh. "But I can at least try to do something good for once, even though it can't atone to the things I did to you."

"I don't care about any of that," Scourge murmured. "Thank you, Collette." Kala looked at her wide-eyed, now realizing the relationship between the two.

"Nicholas," she breathed. "I…I lo…." She slowly passed on, her breath stopped, and she died seamlessly beside her mate. Scourge looked down, burying his face into her neck fur.

"I love you too, Collette," he said. He took the small Marker and began to stalk toward the battle. Kala brushed Collette's eyelids down and followed Scourge. She looked at his hard-set gaze sympathetically; she couldn't imagine what he was going through now.

"Scourge, I'm so sorry about-"

"Save it," he growled, refusing to look at Kala. "Just get me close enough to Saren to shove this fuckin rock through his black heart."

**Ryker**

Ryker was quite happy in the new life, despite his immense sadness at his death in the realm of the living. His death was not slow; he felt relatively little pain in his final moments, and even the brief amount of pain that he did feel was numbed by a warm feeling presented by a beautiful tawny furred she-wolf who called herself Kate. Ryker knew immediately who this she-wolf was and he was in awe by her. After looking at her, he saw numerous similarities between Kala and this she-wolf, as well as Humphrey. He met her pups, the three others that were never to be born. Like him, they never got a chance to live out their lives, though they never even got a chance at life at all. It was a sad, pitiful prospect to think of.

Kate was a loving and caring she-wolf. Ryker saw many qualities in her that were present in his elder step-sister, Kala. Even though he was not Kate's son, she still acted like a mother to him, something of which he was eternally grateful.

Today, Kate was on edge. She paced about the snowy landscape nervously, muttering to herself heatedly. He watched her intently unsure of what he should do. Ryker's first impulse was to pad up to her and attempt to help the she-wolf with whatever was ailing her. However, he'd learned the hard way in his previous life that when she-wolves were like this, they were usually undergoing what they'd only tell him was something called "that time of the moon." He had no idea what that meant, but they were usually acting strange and occasionally hostile and shouldn't be bothered about anything ever. He began to wonder if this was what Kate was going through. If that was so, he was intent to keep his distance from her at all costs despite his impulse to help the beautiful she-wolf.

She padded over to him and told Ryker to look out over the pups. He was confused by this, however; why would he need to look out for them if they were in a place that she could easily fly off to see them in? It simply did not make sense to him. She left, padding toward the massive mountains in the distance. He told the pups to stay where they were, but immediately felt foolish; they were blind and deaf, unable to understand anything her or any other wolf said to them. He hoped they stayed like he said.

Kate padded to a massive rock that jutted from the ground between the two mountains. Golden sunlight beamed down into the forest between the mountains, glittering beautifully off of the snowflakes that fell from the sky for all eternity. She climbed to the peak of the rock and looked out at the sun and the mountains beyond. Lights swirled in the skies, forming into a large male dire wolf. Ryker stared in awe, sensing instinctively that it was the wolf god, Lupus. He slunk low and crept closer to hear what the two were conversing about so intently.

"-cannot interfere with the natural process of life," Lupus said. "Your requests to help your mate cannot continue." Kate growled with exasperation.

"I can't just stand around and do nothing while good wolves die down there!" She snarled. Lupus glared at her coldly, disapproving of her outburst. She straightened and gave him a hard stare. "And I will not stand around and watch my mate lose everything he's ever known. He's already gone through enough in his life; don't put him through anything more! Just give him a chance! Please, Lupus; you know just as well as I do that he can save everyone from the Markers, but if you don't give him a chance, he won't be able to save anyone!"

"Then allow him to fail his own way," Lupus growled, beginning to fade away. "If he cannot do it on his own, then he is not worthy of his destiny." Kate snarled and stalked away, Ryker hiding so she would not see him. She stalked into the forest and Ryker looked back at the rock she was previously standing on. He clambered on top of it and looked out over the mountains. Night was beginning to fall, the moon steadily rising.

Ryker howled at the mountains beyond and colorful lights of the Traveling Spirits began to swirl down, forming into a beautiful, snow-white she-wolf in front of him. She padded down on the air toward him, scanning the pup with her bright blue eyes.

He held his ground, not backing down in the face of the wolf goddess Lupa. She tilted her head at him quizzically, interested that a pup would come to request her presence. No pup had ever done so before; they were never seen as particularly worthy of speaking with the wolf gods and goddesses.

"Yes, young pup?" She asked, her sweet voice carrying on the wind. He was mesmerized by her. "What is it?"

"My sister, Kate," he replied when he finally regained his voice. "I want to talk to her." Lupa sat before him. She, like Lupus, was a giant wolf spirit, towering over him. Ryker had to crane his neck to look at her eyes. She considered his request for a while and then looked at him with a soft smile.

"Lupus does not want to interfere with your father's destiny," Lupa said, looking back at the mountains as though shooting a glare at him. "But I do not see how speaking to your sister would directly alter the course of fate and destiny. Although, I do, frankly, support the occasional meddling of nature." She said this with a smug grin and beckoned Ryker toward her. He padded toward the goddess and she led him into the sky. Just as he began to fade with her, he could hear Humphrey's former mate call out to him.

 ****A/N: Play Mass Effect 2 Soundtrack – The End Run now.****

**Humphrey**

He leapt forward, raking his claws into the back of a Black Blood warrior. The wolf screeched in pain and lashed out, trying to bite his muzzle. Humphrey swiftly bit into his throat and ripping out his Life Blood. The Black Blood slumped to the ground, choking on its own Life Blood. Humphrey sprinted forward and slid on his back underneath a she-wolf, digging his claws into her belly. Blood began to pool out of her and she gasped, slumping to the ground and dragging herself along. Fenrir stomped nearby and dug his claws into her neck, ripping it off. He took the decapitated head and threw it into the Black Blood crowd, some of them wailing when they saw the head.

Scourge and Kala ran forward to his right, pushing the Black Bloods back toward the mountain. Kala swung the Basilisk fang, ripping through their flesh and infecting the enemies with poison. Saren and Luna were nowhere to be found, most likely back at the mountain. The humans continued their war above, but Humphrey could see the massive thing above charging the terrible weapon that annihilated Jasper in a matter of minutes. One of the human fighter jets crashed down from the sky and smashed into Fenrir's army, taking out over twenty wolves an instant. Humphrey gritted his fangs together and ran forward at full speed.

Lily and Garth fought ahead, Faolan nearby. They pushed the Black Bloods back from the river (of which was now crimson as the blood of thousands pooled into it) and back to the mountain. An explosion erupted near Humphrey and he looked to the sky. There were not nearly as many humans as there were during the Great War, but they were still destructive, bloodthirsty monsters as far as he could tell.

'Why don't you blundering idiots just fly into the Marker and save us the trouble?' Humphrey thought grudgingly. A Black Blood leapt off of a rock and tackled him to the ground. Humphrey batted its belly with his hind paws and held him off, but the wolf's snapping jaws only neared his neck more and more.

He was quickly tackled off of Humphrey by Kacey, who savagely tore out his throat. She spat out blood and fur chunks as she ran to her mate. He pulled himself back up, Kacey helping him back as they began to run forward to help Garth and Lily. Kerrigan and Taylor were ferociously fighting off the Black Bloods on the left flank, and Fenrir was still tossing the Black Bloods to and fro like leaves in the autumn. It was a magnificent sight to see the wolf god throwing them about as he was. Humphrey tackled a Black Blood and ripped open its chest, exposing his heart. The wolf stared down at it in shock as Humphrey sank his claws into the pulsating organ, blood and other liquids spraying out, the wolf gasping for air as he slowly died.

Suddenly, he heard the old, all-too-familiar sonic boom of the humans' Black Weapon. The blue shock wave of destructive energy split into the ground, tearing through the rock as though it were nothing but sand. Instinctively, the wolves that had come into contact with this weapon bolted as fast as possible to avoid the violent energy pulse wave. Humphrey was launched in the air as the ground buckled and collapsed upon itself, slamming down on his back. His spine cracked and he coughed, breathing heavily as he painfully dragged himself back up. The earth began to cave in upon itself and, once more, he saw the clean-cut rock of the earth leading far below, a faint orange glow of the lava hidden deep under the surface protruding from the darkness below.

A wolf was dragging itself forward and Humphrey was horrified by what he saw. He was caught in the wake of the pulse wave, his body cut in half. The high heat of the wave cauterized his wounds, relatively little blood seeping from the clean-cut line of his body. He padded over to him and the wolf looked up at him. His eyes had been gouged out, his ears torn off and clotted with blood, yet he still had the will to fight. Humphrey stole himself for a moment and then ripped out his Life Blood. The wolf collapsed to the ground in a heavy heap, spared of pain forever. He looked back and saw Scourge staring at him. He nodded at Humphrey and beckoned for him to keep pushing the Black Bloods back. Humphrey looked back at the battlefield behind him; only a few wolves had been left behind, but were still trying to find a way around the newly-cut canyon and join in the fray once more.

They were now almost at the base of the mountain, the Black Bloods retreating up the slopes despite their numbers. The Marker was rising to the top of the mountain and was ready to be activated. Suddenly, out of the caves that dotted the mountain's surface came hundreds of thousands more Black Bloods. Fenrir himself took a step back, stunned by their sheer numbers. Still, he rushed forward with a battle roar and met them head on, the Black Bloods surrounding him and biting at his legs and flank. Blood began too ooze out of him as they attacked him so relentlessly, but he fought on heroically, refusing to back down to their might.

There were barely one thousand wolves left of Fenrir's army, but they would fight to the death if need be. Kala was panting heavily, lagging behind. Her left hind leg was coated in blood and she was limping heavily, Faolan pulling her upward carefully. Humphrey looked up the mountain and saw Saren appear, his fur thinned and mangy, muscles and veins bulging disgustingly across his large body. Yellow blood vessels glowed across his body, the two appendages grabbing long, sharp rocks to throw at the wolves. Had he not been covered in his thin coat of fur, he would have looked just like a necromorph.

He threw a rock into the crowd and it impaled a black she-wolf of Fenrir's army. She gasped and coughed, her body rippling. Before Humphrey's eyes, she began to transform into a necromorph. She howled a guttural, hideous sound and leapt at Kerrigan. It tackled her to the ground and bit into her neck and shoulder, blood spurting from the wound. She howled in pain and Taylor cried out in horror. He tackled the necromorph away and bent its claws back to rip off the thing's head. It twitched and stopped moving and he immediately returned to Kerrigan's side.

Humphrey ran to his side and looked at Taylor. He was panicking as he looked at Kerrigan. Humphrey was at a loss as to what to do. As he watched them, he saw flashes of the night by Kate's side, the night he was forced to kill her to spare of her of a slow, painful death. He was frozen in shock and fear, unable to figure out what to do. Kala shook him by the scruff.

"Dad, we have to go!" She shouted. "We'll come back as soon as we can, but we have to leave now or Saren's going to fuck over the whole world!" Humphrey nodded and looked at Taylor sympathetically.

"Everyone, MOVE UP!" Humphrey howled. Everyone began to sprint full speed up the mountain toward the Marker, dodging and slashing at any Black Blood that came in their way. Kala slashed at them swiftly and savagely, infecting anyone that came in their way.

 ****A/N: Play Halo Reach Deliver Hope Soundtrack now****

A fighter jet smashed into the mountain, fire and shrapnel raining down around them. Humphrey growled and kept pushing onward. Fenrir batted away any Black Blood foolish enough to get in their way, but they were now starting to focus their attacks upon the wolf god. He was badly wounded and bleeding heavily, but he was not yet out of the fight. Suddenly, a rock flew through his right foreleg. Fenrir smashed into the ground with a snarl. He pulled himself back up and moved forward, but another rock flew through his leg, severing it.

He howled in agony and a Black Blood attacked him, biting down on Fenrir's neck. He grabbed the Black Blood off and slammed it to the ground, smashing its skull under a paw. He limped forward, and a rock flew through his muzzle. He growled in pain, blood falling down his muzzle. Saren drew one last rock as Fenrir leapt toward him with a massive, feral snarl. Saren drew back his paw and threw a rock at him, impaling Fenrir through the heart.

Kala screamed in horror at the sight as Fenrir's Life Blood spilled onto the rocks below. Saren lashed out and ripped out his throat. Every one of the wolves of Fenrir's army wailed in shock and defeat as they saw Fenrir die. He looked back at Kala and murmured his last words to her.

"You are True Wolf," he choked. He roared, and every human air ship fell from the sky in a burst of fire and flame. He fell to the ground and his fur turned grey, thinning and disappearing before their eyes until he was once more the hideous creature that Kala and Faolan had met on her journey to become Full Wolf. The Black Bloods howled with victory and rushed down toward them, killing off the wolves of Fenrir's army. The Jasper wolves regrouped and rushed toward a cave that led down into the darkness of the mountain.

**Taylor**

Kerrigan gasped, choking on her own blood, her body lurching. Taylor wept over the twitching body of his newfound mate. How could fate be so cruel as to tear her away from him now? How could something like this happen to them?

"Please, Kerrigan, please," he sobbed, his tears blurring his vision and pattering onto her bloody form. "Please, don't leave me!" Kerrigan looked up at him, her eyes turning yellow as the necromorph virus infected her.

"Taylor," she choked. He looked at her through his tears as she struggled to keep her consciousness. "Do not…mourn me…" She smashed her head back, splattering her brain matter and skull against the rocks to prevent her turn to a necromorph. Taylor howled in agony and loss, his tears falling like rain. The Black Bloods began to surround him as he mourned her.

"You won't have me you MOTHER FUCKERS!" He howled. He unsheathed his claws and ripped out his throat, falling on top of Kerrigan, his blood pooling around the two lovers. Saren glared down at them with cold contempt.

"Kill the rest," he growled. "Ascendance is at paw."

 ****A/N: Well everyone, things didn't turn out well for our heroes. Like I said, I wanted to bring the dark tone of the first book back into this story. There will be more battles, and there will be more chapters, and the darkness will have its breaking points. But be prepared; sadness is yet to come, and the last chapter is quite tear-jerking, especially with the song I used for it, and there's a grand twist in the Epilogue following it. Thanks to Dawn Walker Wolf, MoonTrekerAF, imjustlikehumphrey, the dark shadow, Alexander, Crowwolf, and The-crazy-lone-wolf77 for reviewing. Until next time!****

 ****-The Dishonored Wolf****


	20. Too Late to be Saved

20\. Too Late to be Saved

 ****A/N: Go on Youtube and look up this song: Audiomachine Crisis of Faith. Enjoy the chapter everyone!****

Ryker peered at his sister. They were standing mere taillengths from each other, yet she did not see him, nor did she see the now-normal-sized Lupa. Although still tall, Lupa was now roughly the same size as an adult wolf. Ryker was mystified by Kate; she now looked far more like Kacey than she did when Ryker was murdered before his sisters. She was, he mused, quite beautiful. Ryker watched as she padded north drearily toward the place where the armies were meeting in combat. Ryker followed her silently, watching her every move as she padded forward. Her eyes were gaunt and hollow, reddened from tears that he streamed down her face ever since she escaped the mountain. Ryker and Lupa had been following her all the way from the land beyond the mountain to the here. She had wept profusely as she buried the body of the small pup, looking back feverishly in hopes that someone had survived the attack on the mountain, but no wolf ever left the slopes.

Lupa did not say a word as she followed Ryker, watching the pup and the young she-wolf. Lupa could not read the thoughts of Ryker; his mind was clouded by a thick, impenetrable barrier. It shocked her that he could isolate his conscience from her as he did. It annoyed her to an extent; she could usually offer assistance before-paw when reading the thoughts of others, but now she was unable to do so. His actions puzzled her. What did this pup hope to accomplish by following his sister about in utter silence.

They came to the battlefield and even Lupa's eyes widened in horror. Bloodied, mutilated corpses lay strewn about. Organs littered the ground, glistening in the sporadic fires that dotted the field. Human vehicles burnt as across the field. The river ran a deep crimson, more corpses clogging the water flow and soaking through. A massive, clean-cut canyon was cut through the field, the walls smoking and a dim orange glow of molten magma protruding from far below the earth's surface. The putrid scent of rot and decay stung their nostrils and induced the intolerable temptation to retch. Kate picked her way through the bodies, leaping over the river of blood and peering over the canyon. She began to cry again, unable to control herself. Ryker frowned and padded to her, Lupa watching him curiously. He pressed his nose into her flank and breathed in her sweet scent. He moved to her ear and whispered into it, something inaudible to Lupa. Kate looked up, blinking away her tears. She looked about, obviously hearing whatever Ryker told her. He gently grabbed her tail in his jaws and tugged it to the right. She looked right and her eyes narrowed, seeing a way over the canyon: a fallen tree bridging the gap.

She began to run, climbing over the tree and leaping to the other side of the canyon, running press-paw speed to the mountain in the distance, the Blue Marker glowing ahead as it continued to rise, ready for activation. Ryker leapt over the canyon, speeding far ahead of Kate. Lupa smiled wryly and followed him, all the more curious as to his intentions in this matter. Suddenly, Lupa's head began to pound, a terrible migraine overtaking her. She gritted her fangs and groaned in pain as they neared the mountain. She had never felt such excruciating pain in her existence, not since…since…

Lupa thought long and hard about what may have been occurring. She had felt pain before, but only once in her long existence over the countless millennia. Mournful howls could be heard from the slopes, only to be cut off by attacking forces. Ryker and Lupa, with concern in their eyes, quickened their pace to the mountain and found more and more corpses littering the land around the slopes. Her head began to pound more and more, the insatiable pain tearing at her skull. She panted heavily and growled in agony as they closed in to the mountain. Suddenly, the memory came back to her – the last time she felt pain was in the final days of the dire wolves, when they were widespread across the earth. It was the day that Fenrisúlfur was killed, trying to save her mate Fenrir from being gored by a herd of elkryn; massive beasts that once roamed the earth before suddenly disappearing. Whenever a mortal god or goddess died, the rest of them felt pain like no other. This meant that whatever transpired on this mountain had gone horribly, terribly wrong somehow.

Then, she saw him: the massive, quickly decaying corpse of the god of war. Lupa wailed in sorrow at the sight. Fenrir's spirit was wandering about nearby, confused and lost. The apparition of his mate, Fenrisúlfur, appeared near him. She smiled sadly and gently pulled him toward her. He looked at her for the first time in over one hundred seventy-three thousand years. She led him into the sky, toward the realm of those that had passed. Ryker looked up and saw Luna standing beside Saren. Lupa looked at him as his eyes narrowed at his sister; he couldn't believe that she'd betray them in this way.

Her eyes were a deep, dark blue; they were eyes tainted by the effects of indoctrination. She stood close to Saren. He murmured something into her ear. She nodded and walked up the slope toward the Marker, Saren ordering the Black Bloods to pursue the survivors of Fenrir's army into the cave, to lead them into some place called the "Lair of the Predators." Ryker and Lupa did not know what that meant, but they knew well enough that it wasn't anything good. Ryker looked back in the direction of the river where Kate was still running.

"Please, Kate," he whispered. "Hurry!"

**Kala**

"This way, hurry!" Humphrey howled. The wolves rushed through the dark, claustrophobic tunnels that spider webbed throughout the mountain. The hysterical, mocking shouts of the Black Bloods could be heard echoing through the mountain as they relentlessly pursued the wolves of Fenrir's army. A Black Blood crashed from the ceiling, tackling Kacey to the ground. She snarled and bucked about, trying to throw him off. Humphrey turned and attacked the Black Blood, but not before he could sink his fangs into Kacey's shoulder. She howled in pain and Humphrey quickly tore out the Black Blood's Life Blood.

Her shoulder bled heavily, Lily quickly grabbing old, tattered cobwebs from the walls and pressing it against her shoulder to stop the blood flow. Kacey nodded to her in gratitude and Kala inspected the Black Blood quickly. She saw, lathered in the saliva around the Black Blood's fangs, green-black liquid. It was poison. Kala took a shaky breath, holding back tears as she looked back at her adopted mother. Kacey could see the poison as well as the look in Kala's eyes; she knew what it meant. Salty had been killed by the poison of the Black Bloods. Now, Kacey would.

"I feel fine," she stammered quickly. Humphrey stared at her in disbelief. The last thing that he wanted was to see another mate die in front of him. He wouldn't be able to take it; Kate's death was already hard enough. He couldn't bear watching Kacey die too! "I'll live, Humphrey. I'll live."

"There they are!" A voice shouted from behind them.

"Fuck," Scourge growled. "Forget this, just run!" They did not need any convincing in this matter, sprinting ahead. Kacey's shoulder still bled, but she did not let it bring her down. There was a fork in the tunnels ahead; Humphrey didn't know what path to choose. He heard more hysterical growls and laughter from the right, deciding to lead the wolves left instead. A Black Blood leapt at Kala, but Faolan slammed her to the ground and the Black Blood crashed into the wall.

Faolan shoved her forward and brought up the rear, the two gaining fast on Garth and Lily. Scourge was running beside Humphrey, Kacey on the other side as they ran into the darkness of the mountain. Dust clouded around the tunnels, making them cough as they ran. Suddenly, the ground caved in underneath them, the wolves tumbling down into the tunnels below. Kala landed on Faolan with a heavy thud. He groaned and looked up at her, cracking a wry smile.

"This could definitely be our moment if there weren't sociopathic Black Bloods chasing us," he laughed. She allowed herself a small smirk and leapt off of him, Faolan standing as well. They looked up ahead and realized they had fallen quite a far distance. Faolan and Kala had fallen through two levels of tunnels; everyone else stuck one level above them. The Black Bloods jeered and hollered down at them as they stood up.

"Kala!" Humphrey howled with panic in his voice. "Kala, where are you?"

"Dad!" She screamed. He ran to the edge and looked down at them. "Dad, we're down here! We're alright!"

"Kacey took a hard it, her leg is smashed!" Garth shouted to them.

"Fuck," Humphrey growled. "Alright, try to get out of the mountain; no heroics, just get out as fast as you can! We'll meet by the canyon!"

"What about the Marker?" Faolan questioned. "If we don't destroy it, we're all fucked!"

"I don't give a shit about the goddamn Marker!" Humphrey snarled. "We just need to get out of this place. I'm not going to watch anyone else die! We're going back to get Kate and Winston, then we head out and do what we're been trying to do for years now: find the Pack of the Winter Mountains. We can avoid the necromorphs on the way and warn the pack when we get there! Faolan, I want you to protect my daughter no matter what, do you understand me?"

"Yes, sir!" Faolan answered without hesitation. "I'll protect her!" The two began to run, but Humphrey called back one last time.

"Kala!" she turned back and looked at him. He nodded to her, sadness in his eyes. "Please, be safe. I can't lose you, too." She nodded and flashed a smile at him. Then, she turned tail and ran beside Faolan, the darkness enveloping them as they made their way out of the mountain. As they ran, three things occurred to Kala: first, that may have been the last time she'd ever smile at her father. Second, the Marker would be activated once more and plunge the world into darkness if they did this. Finally, the third…she had not said goodbye to her father.

**Humphrey**

Kacey's right foreleg, the one that the Black Blood had bitten, was crushed and useless, covered in a thick layer of blood. She panted heavily and looked up at Humphrey. His heart lurched as he saw her eyes – they were no longer the dark, beautiful pink that he'd seen when he first saw the she-wolf. They were now a sickly yellow as the poison infected her. He closed his eyes tightly, tears leaking out from underneath his eyelids. He took a shaky breath and gently pulled Kacey to her paws, supporting her.

Her breathing was ragged and hoarse, blood dripping from her lips as they walked slowly through the caves. Humphrey grabbed her scruff and pulled her along, but she was becoming limper in his grasp, her strength failing by the second. Suddenly, she fell to the ground in a sickly heap, panting heavily.

 ****A/N: Play the song now****

"Come on, Kacey," he murmured softly. "There might be a cave just on the other side of this wall leading out of this damned mountain. We can get you help!"

"It's too late," she rasped. "You can't help me."

"No, don't fucking say that!" He snarled. "Don't you dare fucking say that!"

"I'm sorry, Humphrey," she choked, tears rolling down her face. Black Bloods were now sprinting at them. Kacey's eyes centered on a vine nearby, lodged in the rocks. If she bit through it, the cave would fall down on top of them. She looked at him desperately. "Please, Humphrey, go! I…I know I couldn't have been as good of a mate as Kate was, but please don't forget that I love you just as much as she did!"

Before he could speak, she stood and slammed into him. He was knocked back by the force of her blow and landed sprawled on the tunnel floor. He scrambled toward her, but Scourge, Garth, and Lily held him back.

"No, let me go!" He cried. "KACEY! PLEASE, DON'T GO!" With tears in her eyes, she stole a final glance at her beloved mate and looked back at the vine. She remembered the evening she met him, the night they first mated in the dunes by the ocean, and the day that their three beautiful pups were brought into the world. She had lived her life. There were no regrets.

She snapped the vine and the tunnel began to collapse, rocks smashing down on the Black Bloods. One hit her back, snapping her spine into hundreds of pieces. She landed on the ground, crushed by the rock as the ceiling caved in on her. The last thing she saw as the rocks fell around Kacey was Ryker, standing before her with an extended paw.

"I'm here to take you home, Mommy," he said. Finally, the cave smashed down on her, and she saw no more.

 ****A/N: Thanks to Dawn Walker Wolf, imjustlikehumphrey, The-crazy-lone-wolf77, Crowwolf, Alexander, the dark shadow, and LilyAndMe for reviewing my last chapter! Yeah, as you can all see, this story is going to be pretty sad from now on save for the epilogue (well actually, you may find that sad, but not nearly as sad as the final chapter of this story. Even I was bawling at it, but you MUST PLAY THE SONG when you read that chapter!). Well, hope you like it anyway! Until next time!****

 ****-The Dishonored Wolf****


	21. The Darkness Everlasting

21\. The Darkness Everlasting

 ****A/N: Go on Youtube and look up this song: Dead Space 3 Soundtrack Convergence. Also, look up this song: Mass Effect 3 Soundtrack An End Once And For All Extended Cut Version. Enjoy the chapter everyone!****

There was a loud crash from above, dust raining down on them. Faolan pressed her to the wall, standing over her protectively, a few small rocks hitting the floor afterward. They looked up at the ceiling fearfully, but nothing happened. They could hear what sounded like pained cries from above. It sounded to Kala like it was her father, but the voices were too muffled to hear clearly. Faolan stepped away from her and led the way cautiously through the tunnels, Kala following him closely. For the first time in her life, she truly felt fear. Not like the fear of the necromorphs, the fear of death, the fear of losing one that she loved, or the fear of Saren and his Black Blood, Marker worshipping army. This was different, a kind of fear that chilled her to the bone. For the first time in her life, she could not see. There was no light, not even the faintest glimmer of sediments in the rock walls.

The eyesight of wolves was keen, able to see through the darkest nights. Yet in these tunnels, there was no light whatsoever. She shivered, the darkness bringing forth unparalleled cold. She began to feel claustrophobic, her senses dulling and becoming muffled like the voices they had heard above them not too long before the dust fell. She couldn't see Faolan, she couldn't see the ceiling, the walls the floor…she couldn't even see her own paw when held directly in front of her face. This was true fear: to not see what was in front of you, to not have the luxury of knowledge. She scented nothing but the reek of blood and rot in these tunnels, overpowering her senses and blocking out the scent of Faolan and herself. Every noise she made seemed deafening, echoing throughout the tunnels and reverberating throughout the mountain. She began to fear that the Black Bloods would track them through the mountain just by sound. It was a daunting prospect that she did not wish to think of in depth lest in drive in insane before they could escape these damned mountains.

She began to breathe heavily, panicking as they walked through the darkened tunnels. Faolan pressed against her, trying to comfort her as they walked forward in hopes of finding and exit. They trekked slowly in case there was a wall in front of them. The last thing they needed was to run into anything and be knocked unconscious. Even worse was the possibility of a pit in the ground that would send them plummeting to their deaths. Kala wrapped her tail around his, shuddering in the cold. Their breath felt like that of walking through snow in the winter. Icy shards began to cool their breathing, freezing their lungs with each breath they took. In the paranoia of the tunnels, Kala began to fear the possibility of freezing to death or being lost in search of a way out for all eternity. She whimpered audibly from the thought, Faolan looking in her direction (as he could not see her) and leaned toward her, pressing his nose against her cheek affectionately. They knew not where they were headed – whether it lead to an exit around the next bend or a Black Blood trap – but they were not dissuaded to stop in fear.

"Faolan," she whispered. He nodded, soon realizing that she could not see him.

"I'm here, Kala," he replied quietly. "What is it?"

"Earlier, there were noises even in these tunnels," she murmured, her eyes darting about in the absolute darkness frantically. "Now there's nothing. What happened to all the noise?" He could hear the panic rising in her voice and he pulled her to a stop, pressing his nose to hers.

"Kala, I need you to calm down, okay?" He said, trying to reassure her. "We're probably too deep in the tunnels for any noise to penetrate the rock around us, so we wouldn't hear anything anyway. Whatever that noise was back there was probably some trap that someone set off, so the Black Bloods may have turned around."

"A trap?" She asked fearfully. "You mean, like a trap that my dad may have fallen into?" He shook his head.

"No, no," he said, licking her muzzle. "I'm sure they're all just fine. Maybe they saw the trap and used it against the Black Bloods."

"How do you know it was a trap?" She asked him. "What if it was a cave in? Or something falling over?"

"Saren didn't want this mountain to be insecure," he told her. "He made sure that the caves and tunnels were perfect for travel. He rigs traps every mile of tunnel to the Blue Marker, says it protects them against anyone getting close enough to destroy it. He's indoctrinated, that's why his eyes are blue, just like the Marker. He's under its control, there's no hope for him, that's why he must die, and he'll do whatever it takes to make sure we die before we can get anywhere near the Marker."

Kala pulled away from him, looking around as the walls began to glow a pale blue. She looked at Faolan, into his eyes. They were blue…just like the walls, like Luna's eyes, like Saren's eyes…like the Marker. She recalled what he said to her one day: 'Remind me to tell you about it sometime. It's called indoctrination.' She took a shaky breath and backed away from him. He looked confused by her reaction, so he took a tentative step toward her. Her eyes showed the betrayal she felt.

"You said your eyes were blue because of indoctrination," she murmured, her eyes narrowing at her mate. His eyes averted their gaze from her, his head hanging a bit. "Faolan, please explain this to me. Don't tell me you've been lying to me, please…"

"I'm so, so sorry Kala," he whispered. "I didn't mean to hurt you, but I had no choice. I'd lived next to a Marker since I was born, the indoctrination cycle is strong in a pup, unbreakable by every force in the world. The Shaman only made it worse, taking us to the Marker through the caves I showed you in Jagged Ice to further develop indoctrination to it. Yes, we thought it was divine, but we never knew about the necromorphs. Had we known, we would have done everything we could to destroy it, but Saren made Icerin and the Shaman swear an oath of secrecy, then Icerin used his mate like a tool to be fed to the necromancer, what Saren calls 'The First of the Ascended.' I had no choice, I couldn't break his control. I hear his voice in my head every day, I lose sleep from that fucking sociopathic abomination of a wolf, yet I still am forced to worship the Marker like it's some kind of fucking idol. I'm sorry, my love, I'm sorry."

Kala now had tears streaming down her face after hearing of Faolan's betrayal. How could he do this to her? How could he be so selfish and turn on her like this? It was unspeakable! Before she could respond, there was a loud sonic boom that echoed throughout the mountain – the Blue Marker had risen and was now calling upon the Grey Marker, summoning its powers to raise the Black Marker from the depths of the sea. The cave walls opened from behind Faolan, a dark she-wolf standing there.

"Ah, well isn't it nice of you to join us?" She asked. Kala stiffened, Faolan growling at the newcomer. It was Luna.

**Humphrey**

"NO! KACEY!" Humphrey screamed and ran to the rubble, clawing at the rock frantically, trying in vain to dig her out. Scourge, Garth, and Lily stood behind him, looking at Humphrey gauntly. He'd been forced to kill his own mate, he'd lost his closest friends, his sister was turned into a necromorph, he'd lost his son, his daughter was missing, another daughter had been turned into a Black Blood wolf, and now he'd lost his second mate? It was horrible. No wolf deserved such a cruel fate!

He wrapped his paws around a large rock and tugged on it with all his might, but the stone would not budge. Scourge looked down, Lily beginning to cry into Garth's fur. Garth simply looked at Humphrey hollowly. Humphrey howled and screamed as he tried to free the already dead she-wolf that had been his loving second mate. Scourge narrowed his eyes and set down a small rock on the ground, padding to Humphrey's side. Instead of talking to him or trying to drag him away from the rubble, however, he began to help Humphrey dig, pulling at the large rock with him. Lily's violet eyes looked back and narrowed at the rock. She choked back a sob and together, she and Garth began to help the two pull at the rock. With their combined strength, they tore it away, but as soon as they did, the ceiling caved in on top of it. They leapt back, Scourge dragging Humphrey away from the rubble. More and more large stones and boulders now blocked him from Kacey's crushed body. Tears streamed down his face and he howled in agony, falling to the ground, clutching his heart.

Scourge sat beside him, looking down at his friend, Scourge's claws wrapping around the small stone he left on the ground previously. He exhaled and closed his eyes. Then, he threw back his head and howled requiem for the loss of Kacey. Garth and Lily joined in their voices, the howl echoing throughout the tunnels. Humphrey used a paw to wipe the tears away and, with a heavy, shattered heart, he howled with them. When their requiem had ended, they could hear the snarls of Black Bloods coming in from adjacent tunnels.

"Humphrey, we have to go," Scourge said. Humphrey nodded and allowed himself to be led away by the dark wolf. They began to run through the tunnels at press-paw speed, trying to escape before the Black Bloods could reach them. Not one of them said a word as they ran through the tunnels. They could not after seeing so much death, especially after Humphrey's mate was lost. Humphrey himself looked gaunt, like a completely different, zombie-like wolf. No thoughts went through his head save for memories of Kacey. Of how he lost her and how he lost Kate. It was a terrible prospect to lose a mate, but to lose two?

They rounded a bend and led down a long tunnel shaft leading into a large cavern. The walls had blue, spider-webbed cracks running along the surface. High above was a large rock pedestal, the Marker resting on top of it. The sonic boom they had heard when the Red Marker released its shockwave across the planet could be heard now as the Blue Marker called out to its only remaining brother, the Grey Marker. On the floor was a massive, bloodied corpse of a Longfang. This Longfang, however, was different. It had been turned into a necromorph.

"What the hell could have killed this?" Scourge asked. Suddenly, a massive paw struck from the ground and grabbed Scourge's right hind leg, pulling him down. He scraped his claws on the surface, trying in vain to reach the others.

"Scourge!" Humphrey shouted. He leapt over to him and grabbed his scruff, trying to drag him back out. He stole a glance below and saw hundreds of Longfangs below, many of them fighting off D'Tyoni as they emerged from the walls. Humphrey lost his grip and Scourge slipped, but they latched paws and their eyes met. Scourge gave him a pained look.

"Run, Leaderwolf." Scourge let go, and he fell into dark cave far below.

**Kate**

The odd force propelling Kate forward was unlike any that she'd witnessed before. She evaded the Black Bloods on the surface of the mountain, but there were only a few left now. Most had already pursued the survivors of Fenrir's army into the depths of the mountain itself. Now, she stood on the crest of the mountain's peak, looking at the Blue Marker. She seethed, knowing that this was what had turned her sister into one of the Black Bloods, into the murderous she-wolf that had killed Marcel and Iris out of cold blood.

Suddenly, she saw movement below. He narrowed her eyes and saw her sister walk to the pedestal. She whipped her paw back and from the cave that she had come from, Faolan and Kala flew into the ground. She turned to them and held up a paw, Kala's body twisting and standing up awkwardly. She did the same for Faolan. Kate's eyes widened at the sight of the powers she'd received from the Marker. Her immediate impulse was to leap down and attack Luna, but knew that would be fatal – how could she attack her when she possessed such incredible power?

"Why are you doing this, Luna?" Kala growled, dark energy holding her in place. Luna smirked at Kala and padded up to her casually. She unsheathed her claws and raked them across her face. Kala screamed in pain, Faolan snarling at Luna ferociously, trying to break free of the dark energy to protect his mate. Luna bit Kala's muzzle and then walked to Faolan, doing the same thing. Kala was crying from the pain, her tears leaking into her blood.

"I am doing this because of the power Saren granted me," Luna said, staring up at the Marker. Kate lowered herself, trying to remain as invisible as possible. "I am doing this because I know what the Marker will do for us."

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Faolan snarled.

"Oh, now the Jagged Ice reject is asking questions he already knows?" Luna laughed. "I thought you already knew the importance of the Marker."

"I know that it's important that it be destroyed," he growled. "We were never told that we'd be turned into walking corpses!"

"Ah, but they are not corpses, they are ascended beings!" Luna cried in exasperation. "Without the power of the necromorph genes, we could not retake the world!"

"Retake the world?" Kala inquired. "What are you talking about?"

"From humanity!" Luna snarled, raising a paw. Kala's body twisted and slammed into the ground. Luna drew her paw right and Kala flew into a wall, several ribs cracking. She groaned in pain and Luna placed her in front of Faolan. "Wolves were ruthlessly forced away from our homes by the humans for centuries!

"In the land in the east across the ocean, we were deemed as monsters, outcasts! They said all we did was eat their livestock and prey upon their young, so they hunted us to near extinction! When humans moved across the ocean to our land here, they thought the same things and forced us back! We used to inhabit all corners of this world until the humans forced us away! They grew, they evolved, and now they only bring destruction everywhere they go! You've seen it yourself, Kala! You've seen your home after its destruction; you lost your own mother because of them! With the help of the Marker, we can ascend to superiority and put the humans back in their place! Enslave some, slaughter the rest!"

"You're insane," Faolan growled. "You can't just destroy an entire species, especially not the humans."

"Insane is what you may call me," Luna growled, pacing before them. "But Saren's vision of the future is far more than just any simple destruction of humanity. When we are all necromorphs, we will rule the entire planet! All species' will bow to us, and we will grow, we will evolve, and we will become the superior race as we travel across the stars in the night sky!"

"You can't force evolution," Kala whispered. "You can't slaughter for something that happened in the past."

"It is not just our past! The humans still encroach upon our territory even now, destroying our lands, killing families, murdering pups before they can have a chance at living! What we are doing will save any other race from destruction by the humans, but you two will undo our work. Now, you must die!"

"NO!" Kate shouted, rising. Luna looked in her direction as Kate leapt from the rim at her. Before Luna could react, Kate was on her, punching her in the face and clawing at her chest. Luna snarled and bit Kate's ear, ripping it off. Kate ignored the pain and growled biting down on Luna's neck. She rolled Kate toward the Marker, the stone structure radiating with heat. If Luna pushed Kate inside, it would burn her to ashes. Kala and Faolan were beginning to regain their bodily controls as Luna's focus on them was broken.

Kate looked at the Marker, knowing what she had to do. She shot a sad look at Kala and pushed back on her hind legs, pulling Luna with her. The two young she-wolf sisters flew into the Marker's surface…and were disintegrated immediately, ashes flying into the air.

 ****A/N: Play Dead Space 3 Soundtrack Convergence now. Immediately after the song is complete, play Mass Effect 3 Soundtrack An End Once and for All Extended Cut.****

**Faolan**

Kala rushed to the Marker, looking about, scenting the air for a trace of her sisters, but could find none. Faolan padded to her sadly, looking at his mate in sympathy as she wailed at the loss of her beloved little sisters. Suddenly, the energy of the Marker released, a shockwave enveloping the earth as it made another sonic boom. Kala and Faolan were thrown on their backs as this happened, three wolves climbing from the stone pedestal and looking at them – it was Humphrey, Lily, and Garth.

"DAD!" Kala screamed, rushing toward him. He held his daughter tightly, and then Kala pulled away. "Where's Kacey and Scourge?" Humphrey looked down, tears welling in his eyes. Kala moaned in despair and held her father.

"Come on, we have to go!" Garth howled. They nodded and began to run from the mountain, but Faolan called back.

"I'm not going!" They stopped and looked at him, dumbfounded. Kala padded to him, her eyes hurt, not understanding what he was doing. He padded to her, looking into her eyes. Memories flashed of their meeting, their marriage…he did his best to keep from crying in front of his mate, but his eyes betrayed his emotions. He knew that what he was about to do was a one-way trip. He could not let her die, though; he had to secure a future for her. And she was not alone. The scent of musk the morning after their marriage was not just from Kerrigan and Taylor. Kala was carrying Faolan's pups.

"Faolan, what are you doing?" She asked.

"I'm indoctrinated, Kala," he said. "I can't control what I do, I could kill you if the Marker wills it to happen. I can't kill you, Kala. I can't do it. Please, go." Humphrey ran up to them and Faolan once more explained the situation to him. Humphrey's eyes widened and he nodded in understanding, looking sorrowful for his son in law and his daughter. Kala was weeping, looking at the ground. Faolan pulled her in a close embrace and kissed her, looking into her beautiful amber eyes.

"I love you Kala," he whispered. If there was anything he did not regret in his life, it was meeting her. She was his life and soul, his everything. He was doing this for her, and for their unborn pups. "Now go! And don't look back! We both know I'm not coming home!" Humphrey pulled her away and the wolves began to run, Faolan looking back at the Marker.

The stone structure glowed blue in its dark energy radiance. Another shockwave was released, sending him sprawling to the earth. He dug his claws into the rock as the world began to turn grey around him, light bending around him and warping about. The Marker released another sonic boom, his ears nearly splitting from the terrible noise. He pulled himself back up and looked at the Marker, his eyes narrowing at the colossal monstrosity of nature.

He placed a paw on the surface and leapt back with a yelp. His paw was singed, burnt from the touch of the Marker. He seethed and sank his claws into the surface. He did the same with his other paw, blue lightning shocking him as he held onto the Marker. He gritted his fangs together, his fur beginning to burn away. His blue eyes returned to their nature jade green color – he had broken the indoctrination.

Memories flashed through his mind, all of them of Kala and of the special moments they shared in their time knowing one another, for being with her was all he ever wanted in his short life. She had completed him. He remembered the night before their battle with the necromorphs…

"Thanks to your little escapade with this worthless scrap of fur," he snarled. "Sweets was killed." Kala's eyes widened, and she let tears fall from her eyes in mournful loss of the respected and well-liked she-wolf. He glared at Faolan. "How do we get out of your territory without those things killing us?"

"There is no way," Faolan said gauntly. "When the Marker's claws reach to the sky fully, Saren will activate its power and the other Markers will be released across the world. Nowhere is safe anymore, not unless we stop Saren."

"How do you propose we do that?" Humphrey demanded. Faolan turned and placed a paw on the stone, murmuring in the language of the Ancients, reading the inscriptions on the walls. Finally, he pressed a paw to one of the symbols and the stone rippled and deformed, revealing a type of shiny, metallic objects within. Faolan pressed his forepaws to the metal and they began to form around his legs and parts of his torso, as well as creating a half-mask over his face. Metal claws protruded from his paws.

It was a deadly armor that would shape around them and allow them to do what must be done. The wolves-aside from the pups-did as Faolan had and donned the battle armor, Humphrey looking out over his pack, knowing well that this could be the last time he ever saw them. They were determined to stop Saren, however, and destroy the Marker. If Humphrey truly was what Saren called the 'Great Wolf' that would destroy the Marker, then it was up to them to rid the world of the horrible thing. He nodded to them…and they prepared to show the necromorphs a proper greeting from the wolves of the darkness.

He remembered the night he spent with Kala on the plains…

Kala was lying beside Faolan, her head resting in his forepaws as he gently licked her fur, her tail swishing back and forth slowly. She closed her eyes and slowed her breathing, letting her exhaustion take hold of her. Humphrey was on first watch, sitting atop a rise and watching the planes. Winston was lying beside an old log, Lily and Garth curled together several meters away. Salty was looking hollowly back to the south, longing for the companionship of his mate. Sweets was killed by several necromorphs in the rising of the Red Marker. Kala felt a pang of sympathy for him when thinking of how he'd lost the one he loved.

Across the way were Taylor and Kerrigan. The she-wolf had eventually cried herself to sleep, Taylor laying his head atop her back in comfort. The beautiful white she-wolf's face was stricken with dried tears that had run into her fur. Kala was sad, pitying Kerrigan for the loss of her wolffriend. She couldn't imagine losing Faolan, not when she was so close to him now. Humphrey had talked to them and allowed them to stay in the pack, but under constant surveillance. Kala was glad that her father had done so; no wolf-at least in Kala's eyes-deserved to be alone. Faolan nibbled the tip of her right ear and Kala giggled lightly. She opened her amber eyes-the eyes of her mother-and stared into Faolan's brilliant jade-green eyes. He smiled warmly at her and she smiled back slyly. She rolled on her side and Faolan started to lick her chest fur. Almost immediately, however, they heard a growl from behind.

Faolan whipped around to see that the growl had come from the small she-pup that Kala had named, Luna. Her fur bristled as she glared at Faolan. Kala tried her best to not laugh at Luna's defensiveness over her older sister and got up, stretching her limbs and licking the side of Faolan's face playfully. He grinned and nuzzled her, walking away as Kala beckoned to Luna. Luna's dark blue eyes blinked and she tilted her head as she began to follow Kala into the planes.

"Tag, you're it!" Kala yelled, bopping Luna on the nose. Luna reeled back in initial surprise, but quickly regained herself and grinned happily, bounding happily after Kala. In the moonlight they played about, the two rolling around in glee when they caught one another.

He remembered, so clearly that it felt as though it was only moments ago, their wedding…

Kerrigan and Taylor sat off to the side, smiling at her as well. A musky aroma surrounded the two; it didn't take a genius to figure out what the two had been doing earlier. Kala smirked slyly at the two, eliciting a small giggle from Kerrigan. Scourge, Kala's friend, guardian, and second uncle-figure, watched her as well. He tried, she could tell, to keep a straight, neutral expression, but could not fully suppress a small grin as he watched Kala. Kala blinked at him in gratitude, the dark wolf dipping his head to her. Kacey sat behind Faolan, her dark pink eyes staring at her proudly. Though she was not a biological mother to Kala, and though she was not like Lily was to her in Kala's early moons of life, she was a great friend and a wonderful stepmother. Beside Winston were Marcel and Iris. The old goose and the youthful pintail looked down at her, broad grins on their faces. Odd as it was to see fowl in a pack of wolves, she considered the birds to be as much family as any other wolf in her pack. Winston himself, stricken with age, white hairs streaking his formerly grey pelt, had a glint in his eyes as he watched her, a smile on his lips. As his only granddaughter, he could not be prouder of her. And then, of course, there was Faolan. The blue-grey wolf was exceptionally handsome, smiling at his mate-to-be widely as she padded toward him. She could see Humphrey force a smile at him. She rolled her eyes in amusement at him and they took their places, Kala sitting before Faolan. He blinked at her, forcing his smile away as Winston conducted the ceremony.

"Friends," he began, looking out over them. "As well as family; we are here on this night to have what is undoubtedly one of the greatest ceremonies that a wolf can experience. Tonight, we witness the marriage of Faolan Jagged Ice, and Kala Star Wolf." There were howls of approval from the small crowd, even Marcel and Iris joining in their own mock-howl impressions. Winston grinned at them.

"Faolan, wolf of Jagged Ice," Winston rumbled. Faolan's gaze never wavered from Kala. "Do you accept Kala, she-wolf of Jasper Park, as your beloved mate; to protect her from harm, to be a loving and caring mate to her, and to stand by her side until the very end of time?" He smiled.

"I do," he said confidently.

"Kala Star Wolf, she-wolf of Jasper Park," he said, Kala straightening a bit. "Do you accept Faolan, wolf of Jagged Ice, as your beloved mate; to protect him from harm, to be a loving caring mate to him, and to stand by his side until the very end of time?"

"I do," she replied with equal confidence. A glint passed through Faolan's blue eyes, a happy smiles creeping upon his lips despite his attempts to keep a serious expression for the duration. Winston nodded to them and the pack took three steps back from them as they continued with the ritual. Kala and Faolan began to sniff each other's flanks, inhaling their scents – it was the first step in the marriage ritual. Next, they began to lightly nibble each other's ears, the second step.

Now, finally, it was time for the final stage of the ritual. Faolan smiled at her and for a tantalizing moment, all that existed was Faolan and herself. They were in a vast expanse of emptiness, stars shining around them. All that she could see was him, her yearning to be with him overpowering her senses. Kala smiled back, forcing her tail to stay still; it was hard to keep it from uncontrollably wagging. He slowly padded closer to her, Kala following suite until they were face-to-face. Faolan began to lean forward, closing his eyes. She did so as well, craning her neck a bit to reach him. Time seemed to slow down for them, yet she could still feel her father's eyes staring at her; he was the proudest father in the world. Their noses touched, and the ceremony was sealed; they two wolves were now married.

The pack began to howl with delight and congratulations, their voices echoing across the den and out into the night. Faolan smiled and nuzzled her neck fur, Kala licking his ear. The two looked at each other lovingly, all evil in the world gone. All that existed was their love for one another.

He laughed, realizing now that he had lived a full life by Kala's side. There was nothing to regret. He could be sorrowful in only two matters: that he could no longer be with his mate, and that he'd never witness the birth of her pups. He burnt into ash, the Marker crumbling around him. The stone claws jutting from the mountain collapsed, destroying the Marker. As his spirit began to light away, he saw Kala look back and howl in agony as the mountain collapsed around the Marker. Faolan, the mate of Kala and former wolf of Jagged Ice, was now dead.

A beautiful tawny she-wolf that looked much like Kala prodded him. She was a spirit as well.

"I am Kate," she whispered. "The first mate of Humphrey Leaderwolf; come with me, I will take you home." He looked back at Kala.

"My home is with her…"

"No longer," Kate said. "You have given her hope. For now, that is what will matter. She will birth only one pup, a silver-furred youth that she will name Falin. He will be a pup to be proud of."

"Will she be safe?" He asked worriedly.

"Fate can always change," Kate said. "The pup may not be born at all. Kala may die before it can be birthed. But for now, you have given them hope. It is time to go, Faolan. You must now let go."

**END ACT II: Contingency of War**

 ****A/N: Well guys, there you have it! We're on the final act, everyone! Man, there's only like, five to ten chapters left of this story now. Yes, much more emotion will be provoked if you are connected with any of our surviving heroes. ****

 ****Thanks to Dawn Walker Wolf, Crowwolf, The-crazy-lone-wolf77, Alexander, imjustlikehumphrey, the dark shadow, and LilyAndMe for reviewing my last chapter! ****

 ****Oh, and you may have realized that the Extended cut version is pretty different than the version of the song I had you play at the end of Into the Darkness. Well, I recently played through the Mass Effect Trilogy (I fucking love those games!) and I downloaded an extended cut ending I did not previously know about. To say the least, I cried my eyes out at the extended ending, mostly because of the song that played during it, so I looked it up and put it here! Well, enough of my blabbering! Until next time!****

 ****-The Dishonored Wolf****


	22. The End Run

22\. The End Run

**ACT III: The Legend of the Grey**

Night had fallen, the four wolves lying together on the planes far to the east of the mountains. Humphrey padded in the middle of the group and dropped several wild hares he'd caught. Lily and Garth ravishingly began to devour the hares, Lily prodding one toward Kala. The grey-tawny she-wolf refused to so much as look at the hare, her gaunt eyes staring off into space. Lily now knew of Winston's demise, and though her heart was heavy, she had promised him before they left that she would shed no tears upon his death but rejoice his passing. She followed his final orders to the letter. She, Garth, and Humphrey howled requiem for the old wolf that evening, Kala lying far away from them. She had not spoken a word since they left the remains of the mountain. She had to be held back, for she had tried to rush back to the mountain to try and save Faolan. The destruction of the Marker, however, shook the entire mountain to its core, bringing it down in a massive crater. Every Black Blood still in the mountain had been killed, and, it appeared, Saren was amongst them. Never before had Humphrey's heart felt so torn when he saw his daughter weep for the loss of her mate. His initial reaction to Faolan's deception and indoctrination was to rip him apart; he'd always had trouble trusting the blue-grey furred wolf. Yet, in the end, he sacrificed himself to give the survivors, and especially Kala, another day to live. He had destroyed the Blue Marker and decimated the majority of the Black Blood army. It was a final redemption for his terrible wrongdoings of the past. It was a terrible cost, but just in its cause.

It was a horrible insult for Kala to have lost her mate less than a day after they had been married, and Humphrey did as much as he could to comfort her. After all, he knew exactly how it felt to lose a mate: he'd had it happen to him twice already. He'd lost his best friends, his mates, his pups, and every wolf he held dear to him aside from the survivors. Now, however, it seemed that there was finally a chance for peace. Humphrey grabbed two large hares and padded to his daughter, setting a particularly plump one before Kala. Her amber eyes stared ahead, the beautiful luster of her eyes now absent. He frowned and nosed her cheek. It did not elicit even the slightest reaction from her. Her heart had been shattered. Humphrey sighed and began to silently eat the hare he reserved for himself. He picked the bones clean, tempted to drink the marrow from them. He decided against it, however, for the thought of the marrow disgusted him for some reason. Kala unfurled a paw and pushed a small rock toward Humphrey. It looked like a small Marker. He looked at her in curiosity.

"Scourge gave it to me before we attacked the mountain," she murmured. "Collette gave it to him as she died. She said if we smashed this against the Marker, it would destroy it…I forgot I had it when we were up there…I'm the reason Faolan's dead." Humphrey looked at the small rock and prodded it with a claw, turning it over. He looked at his daughter sympathetically and licked her cheek. She grimaced, and tears began to run down her cheeks. She sniffed and did her best to hold back from sobbing in front of her father.

"It's not your fault, Kala," he told her comfortingly. "We don't even know if that would have worked or not. Faolan gave us a chance to live on. He'd want you to be happy, not mourning him for the rest of your life."

"We were going to have a family together," she cried, gritting her fangs as more tears streamed down. "We…we mated after we were married…I'm carrying his pups, Dad." His eyes widened, and he looked at her belly. There were no signs of pregnancy yet, though she-wolves had an uncanny sense that could sometimes detect if they were pregnant or not. Evidently, Kala had this sense.

"Then you can tell your pups of the wonderful father they had," he told her gently. "Of how he waged war and defeated the ultimate enemy, sacrificing himself for the protection of you as well as your pups. You have our support, and when we find the Pack of the Winter Mountains – assuming, of course, that they even exist – we will teach them to be valuable members of the pack. Plus," he said with a smile. "I've picked up some good storytelling techniques from Winston. I'm sure I can give some grand tales to them."

A ghost of a smile appeared on Kala's lips, looking up at her father with hope and gratitude. He was right, she realized. Dwelling on the events of the past was a sure way to ensure a dull, pained life. She was to become a mother within two moons of time.

Suddenly, flashes burst through her mind. They were vivid, dark, and most definitely foreboding. She could hear the voice of her mother, Kate, whisper into her ear, though the words were too vague and quiet for her to understand them well. Humphrey tilted his head at her in question.

We hang precariously from vines snared around us, staring down into a dark pit that would surely be our deaths. My father was struggling next to me, trying to free himself of the vines and reach the ledge nearby that would allow us salvation from our doom, but there was nothing that he could do, nothing that anyone could do. I stared down blankly as he desperately tried to reach the ledge. The Black Blood wolves howled with laughter as they watched his feeble attempts, taunting us as we hung. The darkness below would swallow us whole whenever the Black Bloods chose to cut the vines, sending us plummeting to the ground untold miles down in the depths of the pit.

"Dad," I murmured, defeated. Immediately, he looked back to me. It took all of my willpower to resist the urge to cringe at his heavily scarred body. The right side of his face was caked in dried blood, his right ear torn, blood running down his face.

"Kala," he said, beginning to swing. "If we can swing back and forth, we can reach that ledge over there and find the others. This isn't over yet, Kala, we still-"

"Don't you get it?" I snarled at him. His eyes widened in shock from the force of my words, but I was beyond care at this moment. A year of endless, bloody war, betrayal, death, and chaos and it tends to cripple your soul and morale. "It is over; we failed, Dad. Saren won." I said the last bit with bitter hollowness in my voice. He averted his gaze, but did not give up. Humphrey had always had a stubborn knack of refusing to give up; he probably got that from his first mate.

My father tried and tried to claw his way to the cliff walls, but to no avail. Still, he did not give up. I can't believe he still does that! How could he so stubborn? It was, however, commendable that he was so resilient, that he would never go down without a fight. It was a pity to see that he was going to die.

"Kala, we have to swing over here!" He cried, exasperated. The vines entangled his body, wrapping around him and coiling tighter each time that he moved. I simply hung, giving up completely on this futile attempt. I looked at him in pure despair; could he not see that the end was inevitable? That the attempt to escape was completely useless? He managed to get a loose grip on the rocks with his claws, but he slipped, leaving small white scratches. The Black Bloods above us laughed mockingly at his attempts. I closed my eyes, holding back stinging tears; could he just stop? Did he not feel shamed by their mockery? She hated seeing her father in such miserable defeat yet still hold on to the slim hope that they would survive.

Suddenly, someone else was thrown down with us, tangled in vines: Scourge. His yellow eyes darted to the bottom of the cavernous pit and he panicked, scrabbling back and holding on to the vines for dear life despite that he was already securely tied in them. None of us would fall until the Black Bloods tired of us and cut the vines, sending us to our deaths at the bottom. Our bodies would be broken, mutilated, beyond all recognition. We'd failed, we'd lost so much. I lost the family I had, the family I could have had, the pack that I'd known for so long. They were all either dead or held captive by Black Bloods-a fate that was even worse. They would be sacrificed and turned into necromorphs, no doubt. I would rather die a battered, forgotten corpse at the bottom of a shadowy chasm than turn into one of those horrible, Marker spawn monsters.

"Scourge!" Humphrey gasped, his eyes wide. "I thought that you-"

"Died?" He growled, righting himself, glaring at Humphrey and me. "Yeah, I can tell! How well do you think I took it when I woke up in a Longfang pit?"

"How did you make it out?" He asked, astounded that he'd survived. To be truthful, I was too.

"I got lucky," he spat. "A D'Tyoni nest was under the pit. I slipped away when they were fighting over who would get the pleasure of tearing me to little fucking bits!" Humphrey looked down, ashamed that he'd left his friend to die. Scourge looked up at the Black Bloods in annoyance, growling at them. "Well, how do we get out of here, Leaderwolf?" He asked. My father did not respond. I sighed and gave Scourge a hard stare.

"We don't," I said flatly. Scourge looked at me incredulously, obviously not expecting my response. "There is no hope here, Scourge. We're already dead."

Kala blinked, shaking her head. The images…they were odd, yet so…so lifelike. They didn't make sense, not entirely. She saw things that looked familiar…she saw Black Bloods, she saw Scourge…he said something about a pit of Longfangs and D'Tyoni…

"Dad," Kala said. Humphrey looked at her. "How did Scourge die?" Humphrey averted his gaze, looking down in sadness.

"He fell into a pit of Longfangs," he said. Her eyes widened, a chill running down her spine. "D'Tyoni were down there too. They were fighting each other, it was chaos…there was no way to save-"

"He's alive!" She shouted abruptly. He looked at her quizzically and she leapt to her paws. "Dad, Scourge slipped away from the Black Bloods, when he fell! We have to go back and find him!"

"Kala, I don't know what you're talking about, but even if he did manage to slip away, he wouldn't have gotten far. The entire mountain came down on him, remember?"

"No, we have to go, now!" She darted back in the direction of the mountain, Humphrey, Lily, and Garth calling after her. She leapt over a rise and into the planes, the tall grass enshrouding her in darkness. Suddenly, she smelled something…something that was quite odd. She stopped and scented the air, looking about. She saw two black orbs in the grass. She walked over to them cautiously, the orbs not moving.

She breathed a sigh. Suddenly, it leapt at her, snarling. A massive wolf pinned her down, pincer-like appendages lower toward her face. She looked up at the wolf – It was Saren.

"You have done enough to jeopardize everything we stood for!" He snarled. He no longer even closely resembled a wolf. Veins pulsated on his membranous, pale, fleshy body. Spikes protruded from his forehead to his back, glowing red scars running across his body. More Black Bloods appeared, surrounding her. "Find the rest of them. We're taking them all to the Marker."

**Kala**

That's how it all happened. How it all went so horribly, terribly wrong. I'm surprised I was able to recount all these events in such a short span of time, but I did and now, I'm even more depressed. We've been hanging from these vines for a long time; days perhaps. Grime and filth covered our pelts. In an attempt to retain any sanity I had left in me, I went back to the beginning. I went to the beginning when my mother and father plunged into the darkness (as we hung there, my father's Spirit Guide, Sam, filled in the blanks, allowing me the chance to experience those events), and when I joined the journey and became one of the wolves of the darkness. For a while, it seemed as though we'd finally come out of the darkness. Then, I had to go and fuck everything up on the crazy impulse that Scourge was alive. Now I understood why I was given the vision. It was a premonition of what was to come, sent from my mother, my Spirit Guide, to get us out of there. I had failed everyone.

Garth and Lily were nowhere to be found. The small rock that resembled a Marker was more than just a way to destroy the Blue Marker. Now, it made sense why Saren kept it with him. It was a kind of compass so to speak – a direct map to the Markers. It pointed to the closest one. It would not have destroyed the Blue Marker on its own; one had to die to destroy one of such great importance, but if the rock had been destroyed with the Marker, so would Saren's chances of finding the Grey Marker. How the fuck could I have messed up this badly? I had ruined everything, and now we were about to die, falling to our deaths far below.

It took me a while to figure out where we were at first. They had dragged us across the earth for days. When Humphrey awoke, he groaned in pain, realizing where we were instantly. Eventually, I came to realize where we were as well – it was the very place I had discovered my True Name: Jasper Park. It was nothing but a scarred wasteland as compared to what it used to be. One of the massive, canyon-like gouges in the earth caused by the humans' weapons was where we hung. I don't know where the Black Bloods acquired the vines, but there was no point in trying to figure it out. The magma that had been far below had solidified after the years since Jasper's destruction. Now, only a rock death awaited us.

"You know, I must say that I was surprised that you were all so oblivious to what you were living upon," Saren said. We looked up and saw the evil monstrosity standing high above with the last Black Blood followers he had left. "But now that I know, I thought it fitting that you at least be shown precisely what you missed."

"The fuck are you talking about?" Scourge snarled. "You're just a crazed bastard!"

"Am I?" He smirked. "Thanks to the ingenuity of the humans' weapons, they did my work for me! Please, everyone look into the canyon!" He dropped the small rock into the depths and suddenly, the rock walls began to shake, the bottom of the pit glowing crimson. Suddenly, a dark shape appeared at the bottom, a massive structure rising from the fiery depths of the canyon.

"Oh no," Humphrey murmured.

"Well fuck this day," Scourge muttered. From the depths of Jasper Park rose the now activated Grey Marker, its shockwave expanding across the earth. A massive, alien screech could be heard from across the world. The Black Marker was rising, and the necromorphs were returning.

 ****A/N: DUN DUN DUN! Thanks to Dawn Walker Wolf, Crowwolf, The-crazy-lone-wolf77, LilyAndMe, imjustlikehumphrey, Alexander, and the dark shadow for reviewing my last chapter! Well guys, I just did the final storyboarding and there're only three chapters and the epilogue left of this story! Get ready everyone, next chapter is going to be pretty damn long: THE FINAL BATTLE FOR THE SURVIVAL OF EARTH. ****

 ****Will Humphrey defeat Saren and the Black Marker? Will Kala's pups be born? Will Garth and Lily come back? Will Scourge be a badass as usual? Will anyone else die or will everyone survive? Will I stop asking all of these rhetorical questions that only I have the answers to? Will the dark shadow post a review on this chapter saying "I love it" like he always does on almost every chapter ever? Well, the answer the last question is probably yes, but to the rest of them, you'll just have to wait and see! Until next time!****

 ****-The Dishonored Wolf****


	23. The End of the World

23\. The End of the World

 ****A/N: Go on Youtube and type this in exactly: Mass Effect 3 Soundtrack – Mordin and then choose the first video that comes up. When the song slows down, you can exit out of it. Then, look up this song: Dead Space 3 Soundtrack Moon Crash ,and then, fast forward to the 5:55 mark of the song and pause it. Enjoy the chapter!****

 ****-The Dishonored Wolf****

The Grey Marker had now fully risen to the top of the canyon, the truly massive structure nearly as tall as a mountain. Red electrical charges sparked across the surface, dark energy swarming around the Marker. Haunting screams and cries from the ancients, locked away in the Marker itself could be heard from inside their heads, the sound enough to split their skulls. Scourge growled and pressed his paws to his ears in pain, blood trickling out of their ears as the Marker released a massive sonic boom, a shockwave going across the planet. The electrical charges struck the ground, warping around them forming more dark energy. The wind currents began to swirl around them and throw dust and ash from the remains of Jasper flying around them. The sound was truly deafening, enough to incapacitate anyone too close to the Marker (which was unfortunately true in their case). A maelstrom of ash swirled around their former home, dark clouds forming high above them, crimson lighting flashing across the sky. Another shockwave was released, throwing the trio against the rock walls of the canyon. Kala looked upward and saw Saren staring down at them. He barked to the Black Bloods behind him and they threw two more wolves down with them: Garth and Lily. Garth was badly beaten, his fur matted with blood. Lily was clinging to him, her eyes wide with fright. Another shockwave released, a massive screech emanating from the earth itself, throwing them into the walls again.

Lily was not secured in her vines, the shockwave throwing her out. Garth caught her paw, but she could not hold on. Tears welled in her violet eyes, streaking across her face. The molten magma far below greeted her with fiery tendrils, singing the hairs of her snow-white pelt. Garth's vines were being stretched, tearing from the weight of both wolves. Lily saw this, her eyes softening with realization of what she had to do. She couldn't watch her beloved mate die, not because of her. She whispered a final declaration of her love to him, and then she let go.

"NO! LILY!" She did not make a sound as she fell, the crimson fire enveloping her body. Garth cried out to her, sobbing. He, like Humphrey, Kala, and Scourge, had lost his mate. He howled his mournful agony to the skies above, Kala averting her gaze from her uncle. She knew the pain he was going through and pitied him. It was a horrible thing to experience so much death, especially when you were so close to the one that died. It was horribly unfair that they had to go through this.

Another shockwave shook the earth, the electrical charges channeling the Marker's energy into a singular beam that fired into the sky. The clouds darkened all the more, red arcs of lightning sporadically flashing across the earth. Kala looked up, her fur blowing back from the force of the Marker's energy. She heard screeches from the earth and looked up to see forms rising from across Jasper. From the ash rose the bodies of the fallen wolves, humans, and other wildlife forms that were killed in the Great War. Now, they were necromorphs. The wolves had turned into massive, bipedal monstrosities with four split jaws. They darted about the wrecked human vehicles and remaining trees and rocks that had survived the Great War, poking their heads out from behind cover and barking in a hideous, guttural, alien tone. The humans had grown larger, massive blades protruding from their arms. They slowly advanced toward the canyon, screaming and growling at the living. Saren looked startled and confused by the actions of the necromorphs. Kala suddenly realized why this reaction had been stirred – he'd believed necromorphs were the evolutionary stage of wolves. Now, he was proven wrong, that all undead life was turned into necromorph form with one goal in their singular consciousness: to eradicate all forms of life.

"No, no, no, no, no!" Saren snarled, backing away from the canyon. "We are the only ones that should ascend! Not them! NEVER THEM!" The necromorphs began to charge the canyon, screaming and leaping to the other side, attacking Saren and the Black Bloods. They began to retreat, leaving the Jasper wolves back in the canyon.

Humphrey was swung over to the canyon wall, grabbing a rocky outcropping on the side. He looked back at Garth, Scourge, and Kala.

"Grab my tail!" He howled. Scourge nodded and swung over to him, grabbing his tail in his jaws. Humphrey's eyes shot open, his eyes stinging from the pain. Scourge lifted his tail and Kala swung over to him, grabbing his tail as well. Garth, with some initial reluctant hesitation, swung to Kala. Humphrey began to climb the wall, carrying the three of them, the vines providing minimal support for the other three. Kala felt incredibly weighed down, her tail feeling as though it would be torn off.

"Uncle Garth," she said through a mouthful of fur. "What the hell have you been eating?"

"Black Blood!" He scoffed. Scourge growled.

"Well, Kala, you're no leaf on the wind either!" He snarled. "And your fangs are going to bite right through my tail!"

"Well I have to carry all of you," Humphrey barked. "How do you think that feels?"

"Point taken," Kala said with a small shrug. Scourge placed his paws on the cliff wall, digging his claws into the rock and sediments, pulling himself upward to alleviate the strain Humphrey felt by pulling all three of them up with him. Kala and Garth began to do the same, Humphrey eventually climbing over the edge and pulling the rest of them up with him.

Kala groaned and pulled herself up, looking about. The dead were rising from the ashes of Jasper, screeches of the necromorph horde echoing across the planet as the Black Marker began to rise from the depths of the sea. Screams echoed through their heads, sounding like the shriek of the damned. Kala gritted her fangs and looked at the retreating Black Bloods. Saren was nowhere to be seen, probably already far away from Jasper. Kala cursed the cowardly excuse for a wolf, turning her attention to the Grey Marker. The crimson beam of energy spread across the atmosphere, turning the clouds a dark red-grey hue, flashes of lightning igniting the skies. Suddenly, the world began to grow darker, a massive shadow blanketing the earth. The Jasper wolves turned around, their eyes growing at the horrible sight. Hovering in the sky above them was the Black Marker. Dark energy swirled around it like a hurricane, the crimson arcs of energy racing across its surface. It was easily thrice the size of the largest mountain on the earth, sending shockwaves across the earth. The dead began to rise from the earth, turned into necromorphs, ready to kill and slaughter as they were created to do.

Scourge stood beside Humphrey, looking at the Black Marker, dumbfounded. Humphrey took a step back, shocked by the immense size of the Marker.

"Holy hell," Scourge whispered. "The first two Markers were one thing but this…how the hell are we supposed to deal with this?"

"I don't know," Humphrey murmured, looking down. "I'm not entirely sure that we can…" Kala looked at her father in worry. He always had a plan! He couldn't just give up now! Yet, when she looked at the Black Marker…she knew that it was impossible to plan for something like this.

She padded over to him and pressed her paw against his gently. He looked down at their paws and then to her. He nuzzled her, holding her paw tightly. This, they knew, was the last time they'd all be together. The end was nigh, their world crumbling all around them.

"Kala," Humphrey whispered. "You need to get out of here."

"W-what?" She stammered, shocked by what he was saying.

"Kala, I'm going to do my best to end this, right here, right now," he said. "When we're done here, this whole thing is going to come down right on top of us. I promise you, if we get out of this alive, I'll find you."

"No!" She shouted. "No, I'm not leaving you, Dad!"

"You have to, Kala. Go; find the Pack of the Winter Mountains. We'll do what has to be done here and find you."

"NO! I WON'T LEAVE YOU!" She had tears streaming down her face, her amber eyes rimmed with red. He nuzzled his daughter affectionately. He knew just as well as her that despite what he said, he would not live through this battle. This was his final chapter; he could not go with her this time.

"Kala, I can't watch you die," he said. The earth shook and threw them off balance, Kala ramming into her father's chest. He continued what he was saying. "I saw three pups born without heartbeats and killed your mother to save your life. I saw two daughters and a son die, and watched yet another mate sacrifice herself so we could live. I watched so many wolves I was close to die, and I can't watch you die now. I've been running away from the world, running away from the darkness because I was scared. Kala, I'm not scared anymore. I know that I lived my life to its fullest. I did many dark things in this world; you were the one bright thing I added to it. Please, Kala, go."

"No, you three go," Scourge growled. They looked at him, the dark wolf looking up at the Black Marker with resignation. "Get to the Pack of the Winter Mountain and warn them; I have nothing left anyway."

"I'm not going," Garth stated. "I'm taking out this Grey Marker. I'll hold off whatever necromorphs come near you and try to get revenge on Saren for what he took from me."

"You two can't take on the Markers alone," Humphrey said. "I'm the Legend of the Grey, the Great Wolf that has to get rid of these things, remember? I'm staying with you two. Kala, please…for me, for Faolan, for your pups…go while you still can." Kala choked back a sob and embraced her father. Another shockwave shook the earth and threw her back. "Now go, and don't look back! We both know how this story ends!" She nodded and ran north, through the destroyed remains of Jasper to find the Pack of the Winter Mountains. Humphrey hoped she would find them; the last thing she wanted was for her to spend a life time searching for something that did not exist.

Humphrey walked forward, Scourge on his right and Garth on his left. This was the last time the three would stand together, and they would honor the memories of those they lost in their actions on this final day. Humphrey turned to Garth, looking at the red-furred wolf.

"Good luck, Barf," Humphrey said, cracking his old smile. He couldn't remember the last time he smiled like that. "Try not to be a dud on this one." Garth chuckled in response.

"Yeah, well try to actually act like a wolf instead of a brain-dead coyote this time around," Garth retorted with a smirk. "Make Kate proud, Humphrey."

"And give those Black Bloods a reason to regret taking away Lily," Humphrey said. Garth nodded and flashed an evil smile.

"If you find Saren and we're all still alive when this is done, make sure you give me his head. That would be a fitting token for what he did. I'll see you on the other side, Humphrey."

"Don't say that," he told Garth. "We won't be." He nodded and stalked toward the Grey Marker, Scourge and Humphrey looking out over the Black Marker. It was cresting over a mountain nearby. Humphrey nodded to it, Scourge's eyes narrowing at the sight.

"You ready?" Humphrey asked. Scourge chuckled and looked at his friend with a glint in his eyes.

"Let's kill these fucking things," he growled.

**Garth**

Garth ran to the Grey Marker, the massive stone structure pouring more dark energy into the Black Marker in the sky. If he could find a way to disrupt the flow of energy, then he could help stop at least some of the necromorphs from attacking Scourge and Humphrey. He laughed at himself; he didn't even know if the Grey Marker's destruction would do a single thing. For all he knew, the Black Marker was simply siphoning the energy of the Grey Marker, and it may not even do a single thing if he figured out a way to destroy it. He walked toward it and saw something move from behind it. He squinted his eyes through the radiance of the dark energy and saw a white she-wolf approach him. His heart stopped when he saw the figure: it was Lily.

 ****A/N: Play Mass Effect 3 Soundtrack – Mordin now. Remember, exit the song when it slows down.****

She padded up to him, releasing a seductive purr as she pressed her body against his, running her tail under his chin. This was no illusion; this was real. He could feel her as a solid form, knowing that it was her just as well as he knew himself. He stared into her violet eyes and became lost in them. He let his guard down and suddenly, Lily lashed out at him, ripping through his chest and sinking her claws into his heart. He seethed in pain and watched as she transformed into a corpse, one of the necromorphs that they were supposed to be killing.

He growled and pushed forward, shoving her into the Marker. He dug his claws into her neck and ripped out the throat of the necromorph that was once his mate. Black-green liquids splashed on his fur, coating him in a terrible scent. He began to tear off the necromorph's arms, the split-jawed monstrosity screaming. Garth had unlocked the secret of a Marker's destruction: facing the demons that plagued the mind of the destroyer. He howled and shoved the monster down, beating it repeatedly.

The necromorph screamed in indignation. Garth found a sizeable shard of rock and began to stab the necromorph with it. Blood splashed across the ground and on Garth's pelt, but he no longer cared. He was already a dead wolf. He howled and rammed the necromorph against the Marker, the two burning in its radiant heat. The Marker began to crumble and split, dark energy streaming out of it and breaking apart the Marker from the inside. Suddenly, the cliff began to collapse, sending Garth and the necromorph plunging far down into the canyon below, the fiery magma welcoming him below. He closed his eyes, silenced. The necromorph's screeches went unheard to his ears, the whole world going silent in his final moments.

"I love you, Lily," he whispered. The Marker exploded, sending Garth into the wall. His spine snapped when he hit the rock, but he felt nothing. He tumbled downward and, as he fell, looked into the sky. He howled with what energy he had left; he howled just as he did the first time he did with Lily so many years ago. He fell into the lava, his world going dark. He heard Lily's voice in his mind as he faded away.

"Now that's a howl…" she whispered.

**Kala**

She heard a loud explosion behind her and, despite what her father had ordered, she turned back. The Grey Marker fell into the canyon, Garth following with it, a necromorph clinging to him. Kala blinked away tears for her fallen uncle and watched as the canyon lit up as the Marker's dark energy burst from inside. Fire ignited from within the canyon, shooting into the skies above. She spat at the ground in disgrace to the Marker and turned around.

Suddenly, she was pushed to the ground, her Basilisk fang ripped from her neck. A low growl emitted from above her. She looked up to see Saren standing over her. He stabbed at her, but Kala quickly rolled out of the way, the Basilisk fang plunging into the ashes. He growled and stumbled toward her. He was not a wolf anymore; he was nothing but a necromorph with a conscience. She dodged another swipe of the Basilisk fang and she leapt away. He roared at her and spat poison at her.

"The Marker was to make us better!" He snarled. "We were to become one, to become whole and retake the earth as we did so many millennia ago!"

"You were deluded from the beginning!" Kala spat. "The Marker was nothing but a killing machine! You should have realized that when the Night Watchers and D'Tyoni attacked us at your sick fucking pack grounds!"

"THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!" Saren snarled. "I SHOULD HAVE HAD ICERIN AND THE SHAMAN KILL YOU THE INSTANT YOU TRESPASSED ON OUR LANDS!"

"I didn't tell the Marker to infect everyone!" Kala growled. "That's just what it was designed to do, and you were too blind to see that!" He lunged for her, but Kala leapt over him, remembering what Scourge taught her when she was younger. She twisted her body around and raked her claws on his sides, lashing out at his neck and ripping out his Life Blood. He collapsed on to the ground, heaving and blood leaking from his neck. Kala padded to him calmly and took back the Basilisk fang. Finally, she plunged it into his chest with a battle cry, the venom infecting him. He coughed and underwent a violent body spasm, blood gorging from his eyes and mouth.

"That was for Faolan," she growled, taking back her Basilisk fang.

**Humphrey**

The two wolves scrambled up the mountain. They had seen Garth go down with the Grey Marker, Humphrey mourning his death as they climbed up the mountain. The Black Marker's energy smashed into the mountain, sending massive chunks of rock down at them. They ducked under them and dodged to the sides when they saw the rocks tumbling forward. Humphrey found a small path leading toward the peak nearby, motioning to it. Scourge nodded and they began to run up the path, the rocks raining down on them missing them by several wolflengths.

Another shockwave shook the mountain, sending Humphrey tumbling over the edge. He dug his claws into the rock, Scourge quickly pulling him back up by his scruff. Humphrey ran into the wall, his heart racing. He looked back at Scourge and nodded to him.

"Thanks," he panted. "I owe you one."

"More than one," Scourge growled. "But I guess that's just irrelevant now, right? We're dead anyway."

"True enough." Humphrey growled, the two racing up the slope. Up ahead, the rock was crumbling. They took running jumps and leapt to the other side, scrambling up the mountain and toward the Black Marker. Humphrey climbed further and further, reaching the peak. Four massive claws of stone emerged from the mountain, red symbols glowing on the surface of the claws.

Humphrey darted to one of them pressed a paw against it. He immediately leapt back, his paw singed. He began to writhe in pain as the symbols began to carve themselves across his body, glowing crimson through his fur. He screamed in pain and fell to the ground, a rock splitting his cranium. Blood coated the side of his face as Scourge helped him back up. They stumbled over to Marker, a tawny she-wolf appearing before it.

Humphrey pushed Scourge away and stood in front of her, Kate staring into his eyes. She nuzzled him affectionately despite his ghastly appearance with the symbols carved into him. His eyes watered at her touch. Suddenly, he pulled back and sank his fangs into her neck, ripping out her Life Blood. He growled and stepped back, looking at the apparition of Kate. Just as he thought, it was not truly her. It was the dark Kate of his nightmares, the being that haunted him since her death. She began to burn into ashes and break apart.

Humphrey held up a bloodied paw, holding the small Marker in his grasp. A rock pedestal rose from the ground, a small hole in the top ready for the insertion of the small Marker Humphrey held. With it, he could obliterate the Black Marker. Scourge stood beside him and looked at the pedestal.

"So, this is it, huh?" Scourge asked. "We die here, right now?"

"Yeah," Humphrey murmured. "This is it."

"But everyone else gets a tomorrow," Scourge finished. Humphrey nodded.

"Kala; she gets a tomorrow," he slammed the Marker into the pedestal and the symbols on his body, on the claws, and on the Marker itself began to glow. The Marker released a massive shockwave of energy, sending Scourge and Humphrey into two separate stone claws. The world began to break apart, the fires of the earth opening up as the earth caved in upon itself. The mountain broke apart and Humphrey looked over at Scourge. A shard of the Marker plunged into his chest, blood spurting from the wound. The claw broke away and Scourge flew away with a final cry, plunging into the fires below. Humphrey was launched into the air, tumbling from the massive force of the shockwave.

Shards impaled his belly and chest, blood coating his already mutilated body. He groaned and looked around. Rock and flaming magma surrounded him, grey dust and wind from the remains of Jasper swirled around him. Humphrey's bracelet loosened and flew off. He quickly grabbed it with a claw and looked at it with heavy eyes.

 ****A/N: Play Dead Space 3 Soundtrack Moon Crash now (Remember, at the 5:55 mark of the song)****

Each piece of the bracelet symbolized so much for him. The claw from Kacey flew away, lost in the eternal winds of the storm around him. The three violet petals from Kate's favorite flower, frozen for ever from the harmful ravages of time, fell out and into the empty void. Finally, all that remained was Kala's fur strand. He ran a claw over it, the faint scent of his beloved daughter still on the bracelet. Finally, even the fur strand flew away, lost to him. He let the bracelet go, falling back as the winds carried him away.

He saw, somewhere far in the distance, his daughter traveling to the Pack of the Winter Mountains, guided by the spirits of the Ancients to her final destination. He whispered her name once more and closed his eyes, accepting death as he plunged into the darkness.

 ****A/N: Well everyone, Saren, the Markers, the necromorphs, and the Black Bloods…they are now finished. There are still two more chapters and an epilogue left in this story. The last chapter is by far one of the most emotional pieces I have written and I am ecstatic to share it with all of you!****

 ****Thanks to Crowwolf, Alexander, LilyAndMe, the dark shadow, Dawn Walker Wolf, The-crazy-lone-wolf77, imjustlikehumphrey, and Joey508 for their reviews on my last chapter.****

 ****-The Dishonored Wolf****


	24. The Final Demon

24\. The Final Demon

Humphrey's eyes slowly began to open, blinding light streaming into his vision. He blinked rapidly and groaned, pulling himself back up. His whole body ached, his fur covered in soot and dirt. He collapsed to the ashen ground, the small rocks that had flew into his body causing more blood to flow from his body. He gritted his fangs together and crawled forward. He stumbled through the barren landscape. The sky was dark, the clouds hovering over the planet ominously. Jasper was nothing more than a massive, smoldering crater on the earth. Fires blazed in the distance; everything south of Jasper was no more. Nothing had survived. For all Humphrey knew, he was the last living thing on the planet. The thought brought panic to his heart; he did not care for the life of solitude, but he did care about his daughter's wellbeing. He had specifically instructed her to flee the remains of Jasper, to get as far away as possible. If she had gotten far away before he destroyed the Black Marker, then she could have survived the blast! He limped forward, struggling to advance around the massive crater to find his daughter. He'd survived, and so did she! He was sure of it!

He tripped over something, landing in the ash. He groaned and spat out the soot that had made its way into his mouth. He turned back to see what had tripped him. It was dark, soft…Scourge. He began to dig through the ash, hoping beyond hope that his friend had survived. When he uncovered the entirety of the wolf, he stood back in sadness. The rock had impaled him and took half of Scourge with it. The other half of his body was nothing but a bloodied, strewn mess. Less than half of his head was still intact. Humphrey looked down, respectfully mourning the loss of the dark wolf who had helped him reach the Dark Heart and who had become one of his closest friends he'd ever had the privilege of knowing. He turned back and began to once more stumble forward. The clouds did not cease to exist; pale yellow light streamed from splits in the cloud cover, fading to a pale blue as night fell across the earth. It was the first time in his life he'd ever seen a night without stars save for when it rained. This cycle repeated nine times. It could have been mere clouds passing over that darkened the sky above the original cloud cover, but it was too periodic and well-spaced apart to just be random, sporadic clouds above. Nine days he had traveled, and he had not even reached the other side of the crater yet. He didn't even know if he was heading north, south, east, or west. He could not see the sun rise or set, and there was no wind to carry the scents of any direction. All he could do is follow his instincts and hope he was headed for Kala.

The ground crumbled around him on the tenth day, sending Humphrey tumbling halfway into the crater. He collapsed on a ledge keeping him from the cavernous pit that was the bottom of the crater. In the epicenter were the shattered remains of the Black Marker, the Grey Marker smashed underneath it. He looked back at the ledge and leapt back in shock to see the smoldering remains of Saren, a single stab wound in his chest. Only one kind of tool could have made that wound; he grinned, proud of his daughter. She knew how to take care of herself, which was all the more reason to believe that she was not dead yet. He began to climb the slope of the crater, heading back to continue his journey. It was two days before he finally came out to level ground.

Food and water did not seem to come to Humphrey as necessities. It puzzled him; how could he survive without the two most basic needs for survival? Starvation could be easily held off for over a moon, but water? A single wolf could not survive more than several days without it. Finally, he began to realize that his persistence was what kept him alive. He refused to die, not until he knew that Kala was alright. A stubborn enough individual could stave off death for an eternity. After several more days, he came to a final scar in the earth, left in the aftermath of the Great War. He immediately turned left, refusing to go back to the right. He couldn't do it. He couldn't see their bodies. Even after all these years, he could not bring himself to look at them. The path ahead was blocked, the crater causing even more downfall of the canyon-scar. He stole himself for a long time, looking back. A dark apparition of a she-wolf stood behind him, three small, dark pup apparitions sitting beside her. He seethed and growled at them. Despite destroying the Marker by facing his demons, they were not done with him. Not yet.

He stalked forward, the dark apparitions disappearing. As he continued eastward, he saw them more frequently, voices whispering inside his head. He growled at them each time he saw the dark apparitions. More and more voices screamed in his head, painful memories rushing back from that horrible night; the night that he killed Kate.

He took a left and stood face to face with a monster. A dark, shadowy wolf with burning, crimson eyes stood before him. It pulled back its lips, displaying countless rows of long, curved fangs. It released a low, deep growl as Humphrey stood before it. Humphrey unsheathed his claws and pulled back his own lips to display his fangs. The demon wolf pulled back and snarled, roaring in his face. Humphrey did not react; he did not move, he did not think. He simply stood defiant before the beast. It growled and vanished before his eyes. Dark, shadowy wolves appeared all around him as he walked forward, toward the place where the bodies lay.

"H-Humphrey," Shakey whispered as he lay dying. A small, dark wolf with burning crimson eyes appeared beside him. "Keep up the fun times, you hear?"

"I didn't want my daughter to marry an Omega. Nor did I want Lily to marry an Alpha." Eve growled in his ear.

"You're not an Omega any more. You're a grown wolf and the mate of my daughter. Whatever the decision is, you must protect Kate with your life." Winston murmured to him, his words haunting him.

"Who's the coyote?" Garth spat.

"Come on, Humphrey," Lily said, downcast. "Let's go eat those bitter berries…"

"You have to see everything that's happened in the Dark Heart," Scourge said.

"Don't leave me again, Dad!" Kala sobbed. "Please, don't leave again!" It was already a promise he'd broken.

"I'm Kacey; I'm from the Pack of the Fast Rivers."

"My name is Narami. I am your sister."

"My name is Saren. I am the Leaderwolf of the Pack of the Jagged Ice," his cold eyes glared at Humphrey in hateful contempt. "You may stay here for the night and take shelter here. You do not seem to be in the best shape at the moment; tell me, when was the last time you ate a proper meal?"

"I'm Faolan," he said. "There're a lot of cool caves I could show you around here, and I could show you some of the forest if you want."

The demons of those he knew and watched die followed him, haunting him as he continued toward to his final destination. The voices echoed through his head, growing louder and angrier as he walked forward. Finally, a final apparition appeared: the dark she-wolf, glaring at him with dark red eyes.

"Humphrey, what are you doing?" She asked curiously. That voice…he couldn't help but melt at the sound of it, his eyes softening as he looked upon her. The other voices were even louder, splitting his skull from the inside out.

"Oh, you know," he replied, his voice nothing more than a rasp in his current condition. He recalled the memory clearly, reenacting it with her. "It's just the moon, the moment, you know, I just thought…" She tilted her head, the crimson eyes beginning to lose the dark intensity. "Come on, Kate…howl at the moon with me."

The world stopped, the voices ceased to exist. Light flooded around him and all pain was lifted from his physical self. His physical condition returned to normal, looking just as he did the day he and Kate became mates. He was surprised to look at himself and see how young he looked now. Even the scars under his eye that Kate had given him had disappeared. The sun was shining high above, birds fluttering about. He was standing in the middle of the valley of Jasper. It was as though nothing had ever happened to destroy it. Everything just looked so…so normal. There was a howl from above. Winston and Tony were standing side-by-side, looking out over the Jasper territory. Salty, Shakey, and Mooch crashed a log sled into the ground, getting up and laughing hysterically. A large group of pups ran about in the lower caves of the main Pack Den, watched by Firetail, Kate, Ryker, and Luna. Scourge lay on a flat rock, basking in the sun beside Collette. Kacey leapt playfully in the tall crass, chasing after butterflies like a pup. The surroundings were the only odd part; massive mountains surrounded the territory, snow blanketing them. Humphrey whipped about, looking around in confusion. What was this trickery? How could this be possible?

A herd of caribou ran past; their hooves pounding against the earth and making it shake uncontrollably. Claw and Scar ran beside Hutch and Candu with several other wolves, chasing the caribou. One of them, a tawny furred she-wolf, stopped to stare at him. Humphrey's heart lurched when he saw her. She stood silently, her eyes wide when she saw him. Humphrey breathed softly, walking toward her. A small rock hit his head and he looked right to see Marcel and Paddy golfing, Iris dawdling about with them. He returned his attention to the tawny she-wolf and walked toward her, not understanding. She, too, looked confused to see him. They stopped before one another, the two standing before one another.

"Kate," he whispered, staring into her amber eyes.

"Humphrey," she murmured. Before he could react, she held him in a tight embrace, pulling him down into the grass with her, nuzzling him and licking his face. "Oh, how I missed you!" He pulled her to him and kissed her, his heart flooded with joy from the sight of his beloved mate. They stayed this way for a long time; longer than Humphrey could fathom. It seemed like centuries before they finally pulled away from one another.

"I…Kate…" Humphrey said, looking about.

"I know, I know," she said, giggling. "It's a lot to take in, huh?" He shook his head and looked at her.

"Kate, I don't even know what it is! Where are we?" Humphrey was exasperated, unable to understand what was going on. She laughed and licked him.

"We're in New Jasper, my love," she replied, looking around. "Lupus and Lupa created it for us. Every wolf that lost its territory now has their own version of it in these mountains. It was fairly recent that this happened."

"Lupus and Lupa?" Humphrey asked, dumbfounded. "Kate, where are we?"

"Don't you see, Humphrey?" She asked, tilting her head. "We are in the After."

"What does that mean?" He asked her. She beckoned to him, the two mates traveling across the territory.

"The After is what we call the world that we go to once our previous lives are complete," she replied. "Other names can call it heaven, the afterlife, otherworld…the list goes on. What it's called in the end is irrelevant. It simply is."

"Why are we here?" Humphrey asked. She looked at him quizzically.

"Our lives are complete, Humphrey," she replied. "You persisted for quite a long time, though; you've been dead almost five years now." He took a step back, looking at her. What was she talking about? He wasn't dead for five years! She rolled her eyes.

"You took your life the night our pup was born," she said. "You've been quite persistent to stay alive after that happened, if I must say so myself."

"No, no, no, no that's…that's impossible," Humphrey growled at her. "How could I have conversations with the rest of the pack? How could I kill others? How could I have met Kacey and born pups with her? How could I have done any of this if I've been dead?"

"Your delusions have been quite strange," she said flatly. "The Markers have been at work for years. To the wolves you knew, they had been indoctrinated as well, even Kala. They all thought they saw you, when it was really just their own actions and sayings, their minds playing tricks on them. Kacey was nothing more but another indoctrinated apparition, as were her pups. Narami never existed. Kala, after she was born, stumbled up the hills and by chance found the pack. She will be known to history as the pup that survived."

"No, this is a lie," Humphrey growled. "I know this is a lie."

"Oh?" Kate growled. "And how do you know that?" Humphrey glared at her with a snarl.

"I know that it's a lie," he growled. "Because Kate always had a violet flower in her fur."

"What's your point?" Kate demanded coldly.

"You have a rose in your fur," he snarled. She looked up and saw her error. Humphrey lashed out at the apparition of the dark wolf, the world crumbling apart and returning to what it was before: a wasteland that had once been Jasper. He looked down at the long-brunt remains of Kate and the unborn pups. He stepped over them and continued into the hills. He heard a soft, sweet voice whisper her congratulations to him: he had won the battle against his demons.

"I'm going to find my daughter," Humphrey growled, limping forward. "I'm not dead yet."

 ****A/N: Thanks to Dawn Walker Wolf, imjustlikehumphrey, Crowwolf, Alexander, The-crazy-lone-wolf77, LilyAndMe, and the dark shadow for reviewing my last chapter! Get ready everyone! Remember that chapter I was talking about that was very emotional? THAT IS NEXT! If you connected on an emotional level with Humphrey and Kala in this story and find any events in the trilogy to be emotional, then you will certainly, like me, cry in the next chapter. If you have no emotional connections with characters and events….well, that sucks. Anyhow, that's all I got to say. Until next time!****

 ****-The Dishonored Wolf****


	25. Out of the Darkness

25\. Out of the Darkness

 ****A/N: Look up this song and play it when directed: Halo 4 OST - Green and Blue.****

 ****-The Dishonored Wolf****

**Forty-One Days after the Marker's Destruction**

Kala padded forward. She had nothing else that she could do anymore; just keep going forward. She had broken her promise to her father, however. When she reached the mountains, she looked back. She saw the ground crumble and ripple across the ruins of Jasper, turning into a massive, fiery crater. A maelstrom encircled the crater, obliterating the Marker. No one could have survived it. Not even her father. Her heart shattered once more, she collapsed on the mountain and cried for two days. It was now official: she was the last wolf of Jasper, the only one to survive the war between the armies of Fenrir and Saren. She was now completely alone. She stood up on the third day and walked north in the mountains, back to where her story truly began.

Across the planes she walked, find the Small Grounds where her earliest memories resided. The scents of the pack still faintly lingered in the moons they spent there. She slept there for the night, realizing as she drifted asleep that it was the same spot she'd slept in when she was a pup, Lily cuddling with her to keep Kala warm. She longed dearly for the touch of the beautiful white she-wolf. She stood up and walked forward again, the silence eerie. Every few days or so, they'd hear or see a human air vehicle flying high above. For the first time in her life, there was not a trace of humans…at all. It was strange to see them absent from the world.

She couldn't be bothered by it. She needed to go forward and not pay attention to humans and their whereabouts. She kept walking tirelessly, obeying her father's final command: to never look back. In the mountains, she laid on the ledge the pack had taken refuge in. The place she'd first come into contact with Humphrey's Spirit Guide, Sam, and met Kacey. She padded through the trees to the small pond, washing her fur clean of the blood and dust that had caked her body for weeks. It was difficult for her to properly groom herself; there were many places she could not reach herself. She peered into the water at her reflection. She half expected Humphrey to sit beside her, Kala once more looking at their similar features and realizing he was her father. No image appeared. She heard a snap and whirled around, barring her fangs and unsheathing her claws, ready to fight. It was nothing more than a hare, bounding back to its home. She sighed and padded forward once more. Some of the trees were knocked over, smashed by an inexplicable force. It was the aftermath of the Longfang that had pupknapped her that fateful night.

The Longfang was nothing more than bones and a rough, mutilated hide. Its eyeless skull gaped at her in its silent scream, the earth stained by its dark blood. She began to walk through the mountains the exact same way she had before with the pack. She stood on the mountainous cliffs high above, looking back at Jasper. She leapt down, finding the place she'd broken Firetail's leg. She scented the air and ran in the direction of the ocean, the salty air stinging her nostrils lightly. Her tongue lolled, and she began to run, never stopping save for water and food. She made more progress than ever before. The pack had stopped many times in their original journey, but Kala did not; she just kept running. She deliberately avoided the Jagged Ice Mountain Ĝarnaw, running through the mountain pass at press-paw speed. Never once did she even see a sign of Night Watchers or D'Tyoni. It was incredibly odd to see no other predatory animals as she continued. Save for a small family of foxes and what she believed was a stray coyote, she saw nothing in the form of bears or wolves. The thought that they'd been wiped out crossed her mind, but she quickly shook the thought away. That was impossible…wasn't it?

Day and night, she ran, evading the mountain that the war summit had occurred in. She did, however, return to the mountain of the Blue Marker. She had never truly mourned the death of her mate, and she felt it appropriate to pay her respects in his final resting place. She sat by the obliterated mountain and howled requiem for him. After several hours of howling, she turned and began to walk again.

It was no thirty-nine days since the final battle. Her belly was slightly larger, but it was not nearly as large as it should be. At first, she was about to panic; she thought there may be something wrong with her, perhaps even the possibility of a miscarriage or stillborn litter of pups. She calmed herself down by thinking of the possibility of only one to two pups being in her womb. It would be less than a moon before it would be time to give birth; she'd find out the results soon enough.

On the fortieth day, she found train tracks. She was wary of them at first, worried that a train may come at her from either direction. A long bridge stretched out over the mountains beyond, heading north. If a train came at the wrong moment, she'd be forced to leap off to her certain death or be hit by the train. About halfway over the bridge, she discovered the wreckage of the train over a mile below, burn marks on its metallic hull. She continued to follow the tracks until they ended at a human settlement. She cautiously snuck around, but nothing stirred. Piles of ash littered buildings and streets. The only things walking around were a few stray dogs clawing at the doors of their humans' homes, begging for food. She pitied them; dogs were too far gone to be intelligent enough to hunt for themselves. They'd all die within a matter of days. One of them, however, growled at her, foam flecking its lips. It was a Mad Dog. She bolted north, the dog chasing her for leagues before attacking another dog wandering the fields. She looked back in contempt at the poor whelp that couldn't outrun the Mad Dog, its flank being torn open by the Mad Dog. It whimpered and the light fading from its eyes. Kala shook her head and ran north. She had done what her father told her not to do once again. The mountains were crawling with prey, enough for her to eat like a wolf goddess. The air was fresh and cool, the golden sunlight warming her pelt. Two incredibly massive mountains stood in the distance, snow capping them. She decided to head for them, hoping to find a cave nearby or plains with caribou or deer ready for her to hunt.

She eyed, on that night, an enormous elk. It was nearly thrice the size of a normal elk, two more appearing. One was significantly smaller than the other two, but still the same size as a normal elk. This one, she noticed was nothing more than offspring of the two massive elk. She thought hard, trying to make sense of it all. Suddenly, it came to her: they were elkryn, the enormous ancestors of the current elk. She stared at them in awe and watched them move into the valley. She saw to yellow eyes peering from the brush near the elkryn and recognized them instantly as wolf eyes. Suddenly, a massive wolf with a slightly shorter muzzle leapt out with a vicious snarl, grabbing the elkryn female by the leg. It yelled and bucked, signaling to the male for it to take away the offspring. The male dutifully complied, putting the safety of the offspring before the female. The large wolf whipped its head sideways, ripping the leg of the elkryn female in two. It bayed in agony and collapsed. The wolf took no time to leap upon the elkryn and tear out its Life Blood. It was the most incredible thing that Kala had ever seen! Still, it left questions: why were they so large?

It was now the forty first day, Kala scaling the mountains. They were too rugged, the terrain too dangerous to traverse. She padded into the hills, hoping for better paths to the large mountains in the distance. Suddenly, she heard a howl – it was close. Her ears pricked, and her guard hairs stood on end. She knew that howl anywhere. She whipped around and howled back, her voice carrying on the wind through the mountains. Yet another howl responded to her call – it was much closer this time. Tears welled in her eyes as she ran down the mountain pass on the hills, running toward the sound. She howled again, her voice cracked by sobs. She skidded to a halt on the dirt trail, looking down the hill to see a rugged, beaten, and injured grey wolf. His bracelet was missing, but his blue eyes shined when he looked upon her. She cried out and rushed toward him, the grey running toward her as fast as his injured, tired legs would allow. She slammed into his chest, crying and clutching him tightly, the grey returning the embrace.

"I looked back!" She sobbed. "I'm sorry, Dad, I looked back! I looked back!" Humphrey looked down at his daughter warmly, flashing her a soft smile. A tear fell from his eye, running down his scarred cheek.

"It's okay, Kala," he whispered. "It's okay. It's okay, pup." She sobbed into his chest, her claws digging into his shoulder blades, never wanting to leave his grasp. When she finally began to calm down, she looked up at him.

"Where's Scourge?" She whispered. His eyes flickered downward, softly shaking his head. Her heart felt heavy; she thought for sure that he would survive…but even the strongest of wolves could be overwhelmed by those forces. It was a miracle in itself that Humphrey had survived! She nodded solemnly and poked his leg above his right paw. "What about your bracelet?" Again, he shook his head.

"Oh well," he said, looking at her with a wry smile. "Damn thing always itched anyway." She laughed a bit, her tears drying. He looked up the path, Kala looking with him. "I think this is it, Kala."

"What do you mean?" She inquired. He grinned.

"What we've been looking for this whole time," he replied. Her eyes widened, and his smile grew. She licked his cheek. "Race you to the top!" She laughed.

"You're on!" The two began to run quickly, Kala take an adjacent path. Humphrey found it difficult to breathe, but he still managed to run.

"Give up, Kala; you'll never outrun me!" He panted. He looked back but did not see her. He stopped and looked back. "Kala?" He felt an acorn hit the back of his head and he rubbed it, looking back to see his laughing daughter.

"Ha!" She cheered. "Alpha: one, Omega: zero!" He smiled and padded up to her.

"Since when were you an Alpha?" He asked her.

"Since I killed Saren," she said smugly. He looked at her with a smile and the two continued walking up the path. Sunlight streamed in from the trees above, the two climbing up the hill. They passed the trees and made it into a large clearing, a path leading downward.

It was like nothing they'd ever seen before. Kala gasped, looking out with wide eyes. An enormous valley stretched for as far as the eye could see on all sides. Two massive mountains stood high in the distance, the clouds brushing their peaks. More of the large wolves below ran about, chasing elkryn and caribou herds. They were dire wolves. Kala took a small step forward and smiled widely.

"Dad, we did it!" Kala exclaimed. "It's the Pack of the Winter Mountains!"

 ****A/N: Play the song now****

Humphrey smiled but did not follow her. He sat in the clearing, his limbs tired and weak. He watched his daughter with a grin. She was awestruck with amazement at the sight of the dire wolves. Humphrey, however, had already seen them before. She howled to them, some of the dire wolves turning to look at her. They grinned and returned the howl, then began to run back to the main group of dire wolves, most likely to inform the Leaderwolves of their arrival. Kala's heart raced, her amber eyes beaming.

"Come on, Dad, they're letting us in!" She called back. "Let's go!" Humphrey let a tear slide down his face as he watched his daughter. She ran to the edge of the hill and looked back at him. He was still sitting in the clearing. She tilted her head and padded back to him. He had such a sad, sad smile on his face. She didn't understand it. 'Perhaps,' she thought. 'He's thinking of everyone else.'

"Have I ever told you how much you remind me of your mother?" He asked her. It was an odd question, but she shrugged it off and smiled, sitting in front of him. She rolled her eyes at him.

"Only about a million times," she giggled. He laughed at her response.

"Well, I guess you've heard it a million and one times now," he replied. She laughed too.

"Yeah," she said with a grin. "I guess I have." Humphrey nosed her muzzle and smiled at her. Kala closed her eyes and inhaled his scent. She pulled away, giving him a strange look. "Your scent…it's gone…" He looked down, shuffling his paws on the ground. She shook her head and smiled. "Come on, let's go!"

"I'm not coming with you this time," he said softly. She looked at him quizzically, not understanding. She padded to him, not saying a word. He was scentless…he wasn't coming with her…what was going on? He looked at her and she began to think he was nervous. He'd been nervous before, after all. She went into to nuzzle him, but she passed right through his body. She pulled back and saw his muzzle shimmer. She put a paw to his chest, but it passed through his body once more. She recoiled, her mouth agape.

"Dad, what…what's going on?" She was clearly fearful, her heart racing and her eyes flickering on him. He smiled, closing his eyes as he released a small chuckle.

"Lupus and Lupa didn't give me too much time to stay solidified," he said. That wasn't an answer to her question. She looked at him again, her bottom lip quivering. He looked at her, his fur seeming to have some kind of shining aura. He was even faintly transparent. "I'm dead, Kala." She took two steps back, shaking her head.

"No," she whispered. "No, no, no!"

"Kala…" he murmured.

"No, Dad! You're not dead, I know you're not!" He looked down, his smile fading. She ran at him and dove at him to hug him, for him to embrace her as they did only minutes ago. She passed through his body. Before he could turn, she did it again, passing through his body each time. She looked at him, tears streaming down her face. "No, you're alive! YOU'RE ALIVE!"

"I died when the Black Marker was destroyed, Kala," he whispered. "I didn't even know I was dead until I got out of Jasper. I've been clinging to life so desperately that Lupus and Lupa took pity on me and allowed me a form until I found you."

"No, they gave me a second chance and they can give you one, too!"

"It's already done," Humphrey gave her a sad smile, Kala looking about frantically, whining and whimpering, her tail beginning to tuck in between her legs. She had never been alone before; she couldn't be alone!

Humphrey looked to the sky and begged for at least partial solidification. His wish was granted, and he padded to his daughter, pressing his nose into her cheek. He could, with effort, push into her body and pass through her, but for now, he was solid. She took a shaky breath and looked at him. He saw her mother in those beautiful amber eyes. He couldn't image a world without her. She couldn't imagine a world without him. It was cruel to do this to her, to rip away her entire world, yet she had to be forced into this destiny. The fate of all wolves was decided before they were even born. She was destined to have this fate, to lose everyone she'd ever known. He nosed her belly and she smiled gently.

"Make sure to tell them stories about their grandfather," he said. "They'd love to hear some good stories; all pups do."

"You can tell them yourself," she choked. "You'll be the new storyteller, even better than Grandpa Winston."

"No one is better than he was," Humphrey chuckled. "But I could be as close as possible if I was alive."

Kala sniffed, tears running down her muzzle and dripping off her nose into the dirt below. Humphrey nuzzled her and wiped the tears away, hating to see his daughter cry. His heart panged, and he wished he could stay with her, yet he could not. She was to walk the earth with the Pack of the Winter Mountains; not with him.

"I remember the night you were born, Kala," he said, Kala shuddering. "You were the most precious thing I ever had, the most important wolf in my life. You still are. I couldn't be prouder to call you my daughter, and I am honored to have known such a strong and beautiful she-wolf. I love you so much Kala."

"I love you too, Dad," she cried, her body trembling as she tried to stifle her sobs. He licked her cheek.

"I want to show you something, Kala…will you see?" She looked into his eyes and nodded slightly. He pressed his nose to hers and the world sent dark, a bright light shining off in the distance. He sat beside her, their tails intertwining as they stared off into the light. She rested her head on her father's shoulder and took a deep breath as he embraced her. The two stared off into the distant light, memories beginning to flash through her mind…

She sat by the edge of a slow-moving river, playing in the water. She was still but a pup, but she was big enough to pad about the Small Grounds. This, Kala recalled, was the first time Humphrey had ever shown affection to her. She splashed the water and recoiled, squealing in delight. Humphrey sat nearby, watching her intently. As a pup, she did not know that he was her father, nor what he felt inside for her.

Kala padded forward and splashed him from the shore. He winced and broke out into a huge grin, padding toward the water. He mischievously splashed her back, Kala squeaking and rolling about in happiness. He padded over and tickled her belly, causing her to laugh and giggle in glee. She playfully bit his paw and batted at him with her tiny, feeble paws and rolled back up. She barked at him and he pressed his nose to hers, smiling.

She pulled back and growled at him, bopping his nose with her paws before scampering off. He grinned and ran after her, the two playing in the sunlight of the Small Grounds, the rest of the pack watching them with smiles plastered on their faces.

Kala looked at her father, Humphrey returning his gaze to hers. He licked her nose and they turned their gazes to the light, another memory flashing forward into their minds. It was the night they first howled together…

"So, what's your howl like?" She looked away in embarrassment.

"It's not very good, sir," she replied.

"First of all, you don't have to call me 'Leader Wolf' or 'Sir;' you can just call me Humphrey," he told her kindly. "Second of all, let me hear your howl!" She nervously nodded and tilted back her head and released an attempt at a howl. Her voice shook and cracked. She coughed and looked away in disappointment.

"It's not that bad, pup," Humphrey told her softly.

"Yes, it is," she whined pitifully. "I'm a terrible howler!" Humphrey looked at her sympathetically.

"You know," he said. "I wasn't very good a howling when I was your age either. Then, I learned the secret to howling." He said the last part with a wry smile and a wink. She looked at him in excitement, her tail wagging furiously.

"What's the secret?" She asked him, hopeful.

"I'm not so sure you're ready for the secret just yet," Humphrey said, grinning. "You may not be able to take the truth of the secret."

"Oh, please, Humphrey!" Kala pleaded. "I really want to know the secret!"

"The secret," he whispered softly, tapping her heart with his paw. "Is to sing from right here, okay? Don't worry about how you sound, just let your voice flow from your heart, alright? When you start, I'll join in." She nodded and closed her eyes, lifted back her head, and howled from her heart. As soon as she began, Humphrey joined in, their voices mingling and joining into one glorious howl.

The other wolves began to cease their howling and listen, watching Kala and Humphrey howl together in shock, disbelief, and true happiness. They thought he had told Kala who he was, and she had accepted. Though they were wrong, there was one thing that could be made clearly certain: Humphrey and Kala were finally getting along and bonding with one another as father and daughter. Kala's howl began to grow in strength and her voice began to sing in the glory and beauty of her mother.

Kala released a choked laugh, Humphrey smiling at the memory as well. He looked down at her again and nuzzled her. It was time for the final memory: the night he declared her as his daughter…

"Kala…I'm your father."

Her eyes widened when she heard him say that. No, no it couldn't be true…he had to be lying! No, no this was true…she saw the truth in his eyes; she heard it in his voice. She looked so much like him…he knew her mother…It was true, he was her father. She was stunned, aghast, and unable to speak at all. Humphrey looked down in shame, his ears drooping, his eyes swimming in a lake of tears. Her mind was spinning with millions of thoughts swarming her conscience at once.

It made sense now; it all made so much sense. He was her father, Kate was her mother. That was why no one would ever tell her who her father was: he had told them not to tell Kala because he wanted to protect her from himself. She could see the pain that he tried so hard to bury deep within himself, the hurt that he felt every time he looked at her. It was the truth, ever last word of it. This wasn't some twisted lie to her, this was the truth. She padded slowly up to him, looking into his eyes. She looked at his grey fur, his blue eyes, and the jagged scars under his right eye. She knew he was telling the truth now; this was not a lie, this was her father.

A part of her hated him with all of her being. She wanted to bite him, to hit him, to scream at him to never come back and leave her alone. She wanted to run far away and never come back; this was what he had done to her. These were the repercussions of his actions. She hated him so much, she wanted him to die!

Yet, those feelings made less than a single percentage of what she truly felt. Her heart beat with a deep intensity that she had never felt before, her mind swimming with questions and possible answers, but only one thought rose to the surface, one thought that consumed all the rest. It was simple yet bore so much meaning for her. She looked deep into his eyes, tears beginning to fall down her face. Then, she voiced her thought to him.

"DAD!" She screamed, her voice coming out as a choking sob, and she slammed into him, crying into his chest fur. Humphrey held her tightly to him, crying with her. Despite her newfound hatred for the Leader Wolf, her heart beat with an intensity of love for her father as they embraced one another, their tears soaking into their fur pelts. Humphrey gritted his teeth as he cried, Kala sobbing in hysterics into his chest.

Then, she let her anger run lose and she struck his chest with her paw feebly. He hugged her tighter as she did so, accepting the blows wholeheartedly. She screamed at him and hit him harder, Humphrey not caring that she was hitting him. He had deserved these blows, and he had deserved all of the hatred she felt towards him.

"Don't leave me again, Dad!" She sobbed. "Please, don't leave again!"

"I won't, Kala," he said, nuzzling her flank affectionately. "I'll never leave you again, pup. I'm here, Kala, I'm here."

Humphrey looked at his daughter, the world returning to normal around them. She returned her gaze to him, the two wolves nuzzling one another. He pulled away, his body shining a bright blue. The apparition of her mother, Kate, stood beside him and smiled at Kala. Kala blinked away tears, looking at the two wolves, her parents. Behind them, every wolf she'd ever known stood, staring at her with smiles. Her heart panged, and she sobbed more, Humphrey and Kate nuzzling her. Suddenly, they turned into bright, colorful lights, streaming into the skies, becoming one with the spirits.

"I love you, Kala," Humphrey whispered. Sparkling lights fluttered around her as they left the earth, leaving Kala alone. The world turned darker again, the normal ambient light flooding the area. A questioning howl sounded from the valley behind her. She looked back, tears in her eyes. She had finally found her true home.

She looked to the skies, the lights traveling into the stars above. The evil had been defeated and peace had returned to the world. She had come out of the darkness, the sole survivor…the last wolf of Jasper Park. She turned back to the Pack of the Winter Mountains and began to pad toward them.

"I love you too, Dad."


	26. Epilogue: The Legend of the Grey

26\. Epilogue: The Legend of the Grey

Kala padded uneasily down the hill, hundreds of thousands of wolves standing to watch her arrival. Her ears flattened, and she felt like a pup in an area of the forest it should not be in. The dire wolves were far larger than any wolf she'd ever seen before, but they acted just like any other wolf acted. They tilted their heads at her, some sniffing her. Mothers cautiously herded their pups closer to them, but for the most part they still looked…friendly. It was a shock for her to see. They formed a path for her that led toward the mountains. At the end was an enormous white wolf, staring at her with piercing blue eyes. She took a deep breath and stood straighter; she was the daughter of a Leaderwolf, and she would not allow any others to look at her as though she were some immature pup (though in size comparison, she was nothing but a young pup to them).

She stopped several wolflengths from the white wolf, unknowing of what to do. She could see the looks of many wolves staring at her in shock. She knew why they looked at her like that. They were well-fed, sleek-furred, and in the perfect picture of health and prosperity. Kala, however, was thin with malnutrition, her fur rugged and unkempt from nearly two moons of traveling, her belly slightly swollen with pregnancy, her face streaked with dried tears and eyes bearing the pain of terrible loss. These wolves had never experienced anything like she had. They did not know what pain was; they were pampered and isolated from the harms of the outside world. She didn't understand; if they gave wolves a safe refuge, then where were all of the other wolves? Her heart went cold when she thought that the dire wolves may have killed them. She clenched her jaw, waiting for the white wolf to say something.

"We have not seen outsiders in nearly three millennia," his voice rumbled. 'Well, guess that answers my questions,' she thought. Kala said nothing in return. "We believed that our legacy had fallen into myth and legend to the outsiders."

"You did," she replied flatly, looking up at the white wolf. He peered at her curiously, pacing slightly. He observed her, looking her over.

"What happened in the outside world?" He asked. "You look…undesirable." She growled lowly at the insult, glaring at him. The dire wolves were shocked by her audacity to growl at one with such authority.

"Then perhaps you should have helped us in the war when we really needed you," she growled. He looked at her questioningly.

"War?" He asked, once more examining her. "Who are you, young wolf?"

"I am Kala," she said defiantly. "Daughter of Leaderwolf Humphrey of the Jasper Pack; my father was the Great Wolf." There were many gasps from the dire wolves at this statement, looking about in shock and staring at Kala in awe. Then, the wolves did something she did not expect: they bowed down to her.

"Daughter Kala," the white wolf said respectfully. "Forgive me for my incursions. Prophecy speaks highly of the One who Survives, the daughter of the Great Wolf. Your father will be revered for all time." He stood up and nodded to her, Kala courteously dipping her head to him as well. "Please, come with us. If prophecy speaks truth, then you have traveled far to find us."

"I have," she replied. It didn't quite occur to her until the moment she confirmed it just how exhausted and fatigued she truly was. He beckoned to her and she followed him to the mountains in the distance.

"You have much to talk about, Kala Star Wolf," he rumbled. She pricked her ears.

"You know the meaning of my name?" She inquired. He nodded.

"We know much more about you than you think," he said, turning to her. "You have a home with us, if you would like." She nodded.

"I've never had a true home before," she murmured. Her heart felt heavy and she blinked away tears. It was over…it was all finally…over.

**Two Standard Moons Later**

Humphrey may have been tormented by his demons, but his vision was not all a lie. In the world of the spirits, Jasper still existed as it used to. They offered Kacey to stay with them, but she shook her head and nuzzled Humphrey, gathering the pups and journeying west. She had personal debts to repay. She promised to return one day and visit on occasion afterward; after all, she was his second mate and they were his pups as well as hers. Humphrey was sad to see them go, and understandably so. He resided in the recreated den he had once shared with Kate, their unborn pups sleeping beside them.

It seemed that Humphrey was the missing piece to the pups. As soon as he met them, their ears pricked high and their eyes opened, revealing two pups with bright blue eyes and one with Kate's amber eyes. They gained voices and scampered about excitedly, reveling in their perfect world that would never be destroyed. The one with amber eyes, a small male, Humphrey decidedly named Winston, Kate approving with a small smile. She named another of the pups, a male, Taylor. Humphrey named the third pup, a female, Kerrigan. Winston, Taylor, and Kerrigan were rambunctious pups, constantly wanting to play. Luckily, Winston and Eve were happy to tell the three pups stories whenever they craved for history. Salty, Shakey, and Mooch gave them incredible log sledding rides, and Garth and Lily were always fun-loving family members. Kate gave Humphrey another bracelet to replace the one he lost. He had never been happier in his life to be with her again. However, on some nights, Sam would try to scare them when they were alone. Humphrey and Scourge had never forgiven him for abandoning them in the Marker crisis, so they struck a deal: whenever Sam messed with Humphrey and Kate, Scourge would deal with him, and Humphrey would do the same for Scourge and Collette.

Firetail sought the spirit of the Lord of Snakes; he had a score to settle before Kala's time came to join them. He was quite distant from the rest of them, but Lily and Garth supported his individuality. It was how everything should have been. Still, Humphrey was not fully complete.

He sat by the river, staring into its dark blue depths. Each time he did this, an image of Kala appeared. She was with the Pack of the Winter Mountains now and…she was happy. She had birthed two pups, both males. The dire she-wolf that helped her birth them smiled and asked what she wanted to name them. She nuzzled one, a small, blue-grey furred pup and smiled. She called him Faolan. The second, a small, silver pup with white-tipped ears and snowy paws, she named Humphrey.

Every dawn and moonlight, he would return to the river to check in on her. Faolan was an eccentric, hyper pup. She had trouble watching him. Humphrey, however, was polite and shy, much like Ryker was in his time at life. She loved them unconditionally.

Now, she sat on the peak of the western Winter Mountain. The pups were being watched by one of Kala's close friends while she waited for the Traveling Spirits. The river of colorful lights flew high above and she waited in hope for them. They began to fade, and she looked down, sighing. Humphrey formed behind her and grinned widely.

"Ah, come on," he said. She jumped, startled and whirled around. "You didn't think I'd just leave you hanging, did you?" She smiled broadly and ran to her father. She was about to embrace him, but remembered what happened the last time she tried to do so. She sat before her father, Humphrey smiling. He looked just as he did when he was three years old, back just before Kala was born. His bracelet was back, tied tightly around his leg.

"I've missed you," she murmured. He nodded and pressed his nose to her, scenting her.

"As have I, Kala," he whispered. He chuckled. "Though I must say, Humphrey is quite a cute pup." She laughed.

"What about Faolan?" She asked with a smile.

"Not as cute as Humphrey," he said with a large grin. She laughed and punched at him, but her paw went right through his body. She looked back down the mountain when she heard the distant howls of her pups. She looked back at her father.

"Thank you," she said. He looked at her inquisitively.

"For what?" He asked. She rolled her eyes at him.

"Thank you for being the best father I could have ever asked for," she said with a smile. "Without you…I couldn't have done any of this. I couldn't have made it this far without you, Dad." He smiled and nuzzled her. The howls of the pups were heard again.

"Sounds like your pups need you," he murmured. He looked at her. "Your mother and I are watching over you with your siblings. We're so proud of you." He began to drift away, flying back into the sky with the Traveling Spirits. She briefly scented him as they left, smiling. She turned back and began to walk down the mountain. Humphrey's essence, however, still briefly remained, lingering as he watched his daughter go.

Suddenly, he saw something on her paw. Three marks that looked like a more intricately designed version of the scars that had once been under his eye – it was the Mark of the Spirit Walker. One was only given that mark if they were part of a legend, a prophecy to be completed. He was the Great Wolf and the Legend of the Grey…or was he? Now it all made sense! Everything began to connect in his mind. No being had ever been given two prophecies, but the offspring of a prophesied wolf was almost always adept to having a legendary prophecy for themselves.

Saren was right; the world was changing. The final shockwave of the Black Marker wiped out all human life in a single, catastrophic blast. The gods had condemned them to death for the wrongs they had committed, and even now the last remnant of their civilizations were disappearing forever. Humanity was no longer a threat, and the dire wolves had returned to the earth.

"Ascendance is at paw," a voice whispered to him. He looked and saw Kate beside him, nuzzling him gently. He looked back at his daughter, pride welling in his chest. There would be a hard road ahead of her. She was to see wolves ascend as the rightful, dominant species of the world. Humphrey was the Great Wolf; his prophecy was completed, but his daughters was only just beginning, and her pups would be part of it. For now, though, it was time to rest, to live in peace until the evil returned. They had escaped the darkness once, but it was not fully destroyed. She was to battle it one last time and fight the evils that threatened the earth. Humphrey wasn't the Legend of the Grey; it was Kala.

 ****END BOOK THREE****

 ****A/N: This is the end of Out of the Darkness and the Darkness Trilogy. The past several months have been one hell of a ride for me, and I couldn't have done it without all of my friends and fans that supported this series from the prologue of the first book. My life has been forever changed by the experiences of this trilogy and I want to personally thank everyone for their love and support.****

 ****Thank you to Dawn Walker Wolf for the character Kacey.****

 ****Thank you to Crowwolf for the characters Taylor and Kerrigan.****

 ****Thank you to LoyalWolfHumphrey for the character Luna.****

 ****Thank you to absolutely every single person that ever read and reviewed Into the Darkness, Wolves of the Darkness, and Out of the Darkness. To everyone that read this story, it would mean the world to me if each and every one of you reviewed with your thoughts of this story, the trilogy, and your top most memorable moment in the entire series that you absolutely loved. You can choose to do some of these, add in something else, or you can do it all ****

 ****Well everyone, I guess this is it! Until next time…****

 ****-The Dishonored Wolf****


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